Crystal Claire
by iamcrafty
Summary: Quil?" "Yes, Claire?" "Why do you always hang out with me?" "I like hanging out with you, Claire." "Wouldn't you rather hang out with people your age, or whatever?" "No, Claire. I would much rather hang out with you."
1. Chapter 1

History

"Quil? I wan make you purdy?"

"How, Claire?"

"Make up!"

"Sure, Claire."

"Quil! I want a gween wock!"

"Here you go, Claire, I found you one."

"Quil, I drew you a picture in daycare! Look!"

"It looks great, Claire. I'll keep it forever."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Can I read you a story, Quil? My teacher read it to us in class today."

"What's it called?"

"_The_ _Cat in the Hat_."

"That's a hard book for a kindergartner."

"Not for me. I practiced a lot."

"Okay, let's hear it, Claire."

"Quil, can you help me make a leprechaun trap? I wanna catch one at school!"

"What do you want to make it out of, Claire?"

"I'll paint this box and you tie the cheese to the stick."

"You got it, Claire."

"Quil? Will you come to my ballet recital?"

"Of course I'll come, Claire. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Come on Quil! Give me a hard one!"

"Okay, what is 6 times 7?"

"That's easy! 42!"

"Wow, you are some kind of genius, Claire!"

"Quil! You're bleeding!"

"No, it's just the watermelon, Claire. See? No cut."

"Oh, I thought I saw you cut yourself, Quil."

"No, I'm not hurt, Claire."

"Quil?"

"Yes, Claire?"

"Where do babies come from?"

"Uh..... we'll call your mom, okay, Claire?"

"Quil! I'm scared. What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong, Claire. Your body is just changing. I'm just gonna call your Aunt Emily to help you out. Just stay in the bathroom, okay, Claire?"

"Quil, will you train me for track? I want to beat that stupid, ugly Ashley."

"Stupid Ugly Ashley won't know what hit her, Claire, when I'm done with you."

"Thank you for the watch, Quil. It's the best graduation present I got!"

"You deserve the best, Claire. Junior high is a big deal."

"Quil, do you think I'm pretty?"

"I think you're beautiful, Claire."

"Why don't boys like me?"

"Boys have very bad eyesight, Claire, but they have very sneaky hands. They like girls that let them put their hands on them."

"Urgh, boys are stupid."

"I'm glad you think so, Claire."

"Quil, why don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Why would I need a girlfriend when I have a Claire?"

"Don't you want to hang out with girls?"

"No, I'm good right here."

"Claire, what's a color guard?"

"It's a tall flag person. We twirl and toss flags and batons with the band."

"Is that why you're going to band camp?"

"Yes, Quil."

"Will you promise me not to play Truth or Dare or make out with guys at camp?"

"Yes, Quil, I promise."

"Quil?"

"Yes, Claire?"

"Why do you always hang out with me?"

"I like hanging out with you, Claire. You're a cool person to hang out with."

"Wouldn't you rather hang out with people your age, or whatever?"

"No, Claire. I would much rather hang out with my favorite girl."


	2. Crush

Crush

Today would be the day I die. I silently bid farewell to everyone I loved. Terror burned my insides as my life flashed before my eyes. Not many things could end the life of a werewolf, but this girl's driving would certainly do it.

"Claire, please brake earlier!" I cried, putting my hands on the ceiling of the car and slamming my foot on the imaginary brake on the passenger's side. The car screeched to a halt inches from the car in frotn of us and our inertia sent us flying against our seat belts. Claire slowly looked up at me with a nervous smile and I sucked out all of the anger and frustration out of me. "Just brake sooner, Claire." The light changed and she slowly drove and pulled up to my house. I was buying my parents' house so they could retire early and move to Florida to spend the rest of their days. Jacob and Embry lived with me. Billy had to throw things at him to get him out of the house, saying that he was perfectly fine living alone. Jacob still made sure to check up on him a few times a week.

"Hey guys," Jacob said with an outstretched palm. He opened Claire's door and she stepped out. "You getting any better at driving, Claire?"

"A little," she said. "I didn't hit anything today." I flared my nostrils at Jacob with my hands on my hips and slammed my door shut. Claire ran inside the house to put her bag away and Jacob and I made our way to the garage.

"Where's Ness?" I asked him.

"At Charlie's. Pretty soon she won't be able to go to Forks anymore since she's not aging and all, so Charlie wants them over as much as possible." He took out 2 Cokes from the mini fridge and handed one to me. "So how are you guys?" He asked pointing his Coke at me and Claire's very general direction. I shrugged taking a swig.

"Awesome."

"When are you planning on telling her?" I sighed and took another sip.

"No idea. I'm thinking 18?"

"You liking her yet?"

"She's just a kid."

"That's not what I asked." I heard Claire's footsteps and ended our conversation by killing the rest of the Coke.

"Hey," she said popping her head in. She hopped up onto the work bench while Jake and I grabbed some tools to start working on his dying Rabbit.

"Dude, you built a nice car, but I think it's time the fat lady sang on this one," I said looking it over. Jacob shook his head.

"She ain't dead yet," he sighed. Over the years, he spent a lot of money switching parts in and out of it to keep it going. If he wasn't so good, there'd be no way his car wouldn't lasted this long. I got on the wheel board and went under the car to see if I could see anything unusual.

"Anybody home?" Embry called from the house. "Jake, you got some mail."

"Aw crap. I'll be right back," he said darting to the house.

"Where's he going?" Claire asked. Her hearing wasn't as good as ours.

"Embry's home."

"Really? I didn't hear anything."

"Maybe I need to get you some Q-tips so you can start contributing to the wax museum." She hopped off the counter and flicked my leg with her hand. I heard her get the other wheel board and then found her right beside me under the car.

"So, what you looking for here?" she asked.

"Well, the Rabbit isn't running, and we don't know why. We checked the battery, fluids, parts, everything's a go, yet... she's not waking up. So I'm seeing if anything burst or got caught, anything that will get his baby going." I turned my face to look at her. She stared up at the car, though I was sure she didn't know what she was looking at. I had always known she was pretty, beautiful in a little girl sense. But she was really looking good. Her long hair was dark brown and straight. She usually wore it down. Her skin was clear, considering the pubescent age she was at. Her lips pouted in a way that made me want to feel how soft they were. I shook those thoughts out of my head. Those were not allowed. She was only sixteen. Waaay too young. I was a loser pining after a kid. Someone needed to kick my balls.

"What are you guys doing under the car?" Embry cooed upon walking in. I carefully pushed Claire out from under the car first before wheeling myself.

"I was trying to find a leak," I said.

"I bet you were," Embry said. I dead panned him and noticed something in his hand.

"What's that?"

"I was about to ask our Claire," he answered. Claire's eyes widened and she dove for the note and box of soda bottles. "Seems she has an admirer?" He looked at me suspiciously. I shook my head, telling me I had no idea what he was talking about.

"It's just a Crush gram," Claire said. "It's a fundraiser for school. People buy them and have them sent to someone with a note. Supposed to be a way to tell someone you have a crush on them, but friends send them to each other most of the time."

"Oh, and this 'friend' so happens to find you 'charmingly beautiful' and 'gets extremely excited to see you'?"

"You read it?" she whined.

"Of course! You can't just leave something like that lying around," he defended.

"It was in my bag!"

"Which was open." She took the bottles and threw them into the mini fridge. I had mixed feelings. Of course, I wanted to body slam the guy trying to hit on my Claire, but at the same time, I wanted her to experience normal teenage things with someone her age. Or I thought I wanted those things for her. I was leaning more towards breaking that guy's body in half.

"So someone has a crush on you?" I asked as calmly as I could. I could feel Jacob and Embry's stares of my reaction. They'd find out soon enough anyway once I phased. She just shrugged.

"Probably one of my friends playing a joke on me," she said. That made me feel better. That's something teens would do. Embry pulled out of the orange soda bottles and popped it open.

"To secret admirers," he said raising his bottle, giving me a smirk. I was gonna have to paste his mouth shut one of these days.

Claire

"Did you find out who sent you the Crush gram?" Mel asked me when I got to my locker.

"No, I thought it was one of you guys," I said.

"I swear, Claire, I didn't send it." I shrugged.

"Probably from one of our friends."

"Stop being so dense, Claire. I think it's the real deal! I think someone likes you!" I laughed at her.

"I think you're more excited about this than I am."

"I have known you for how long, and you've never had a boyfriend. Not even a date. Hardly even guy friends!"

"It's not like I have a selection to choose from, Mel."

"Well this guy may be all the selection you need."

"I think that'd be easier to assess had he actually told me who he was." I closed my locker and we headed off to our first class.

"Hi Quil!" I said coming out of school. It was late, so most everyone was gone.

"Hey, you want to try driving again?" he asked me.

"I think maybe you should drive today. I'll practice another time." I could see a sigh of relief, even when he tried to insist me to practice. I was going to be the world's worst driver.

"How was track?" he asked me. We had been meeting almost every day after school for training for the coming track meet.

"It was okay. I ran the 100 meter in 14.7 seconds."

"Hey, that's good." I shrugged.

"I think I can do better. I always seem to start badly."

"Well, we'll practice that," he said. I smiled at him. Even in middle school, Quil was my coach. We used to run everywhere for a long time, but I had never seen him tired. Probably was how he had such an incredible body. He drove us to his house where Embry had made his famous macaroni and cheese before we went to the track.

"Okay, on your mark, get set, bang!" I took off as strong as I could and ran to the other end. Quil waved me back.

"Yeah, your take off could use some work. You dip back down when you get up. You want to make sure you're almost diving up and then stay level, don't jump up either." I nodded okay and we did it again. And again. Quil even ran with me so I could see what I should look like when I'm taking off. I couldn't believe how fast he was, and he didn't seem to be trying. It was like a light job to him. He even talked me to while he was running, which made me laugh a bit.

"All right, Claire. This is the last one. You get this, and I'll buy you some ice cream."

"How appropriate considering our activity," I said laughing. I bent down into position.

"On your mark, get set, bang!" I pushed into the ground again, and sprang into a run, the world blurring beside me. I felt faster than I ever had before. Just then my foot slipped on some sand that I never saw before and I tumbled to the ground, my momentum rolling me over and over until I finally stopped.

"Claire!" Quil cried as he ran to me. I had no idea how he got to me so fast. He bent down and held me in his arms, checking out the damage. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?" I tried moving all of my joints and flexing my muscles.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Nothing's broken." I looked at my arms and legs. They were gashed and bloody. Quil picked me up and headed towards his car. "Quil, I can walk, I'm fine." He didn't put me down, so I stopped fighting. I felt my body pushing against his chiseled chest and abs. I had forgotten what it felt like to be picked up by Quil. He was so big. He took me back to his house, and again wouldn't let me walk. He sat me down on the toilet lid and wet a towel before dabbing at the scraped that were drying up. The numbness dissipated and I could feel the sting. He got a Q-tip and some ointment and started rubbing it on all my scrapes.

"This reminds me when you were teaching me how to ride my bike," I said, wincing at the pain. He chuckled.

"You were covered in hardware, and still you managed to scrape your knees," he said shaking his head. "But you didn't cry."

"I wanted to."

"You even had tears in your eyes, but none of them fell out."

"I wanted you to think I was a big girl." He started blowing on my scrapes, which made them feel better.

"I don't have any bandages big enough for these things, so just make sure you keep cleaning them, okay?" I nodded.

"Thank you, Quil."

"My pleasure, Claire."

When I got home, I saw the note from my 'secret admirer' on my desk. I read it again. I had to admit he was pretty smooth if he was for real. But I didn't feel anything; I didn't want to meet him or even know his name. However young and silly it was, I liked Quil, and I didn't want to stop liking him right now. I took the note and threw it into the trash can. _I'm sorry, Secret Admirer; my heart belongs to someone else._


	3. Things I Should Never See

Things I Should Never See

Claire

Well this irony for ya. The day after I make a solemn promise to keep my crush on Quil, I get a note from my secret admirer. I opened the note.

_Hi Claire,_

_I know this is a strange way for me to meet you, but I really just wanted to tell you that I think you're really cool. I see you a lot on the field after school. You're a really fast runner. I hope I'm not creeping you out or anything, but I just wanted you to know that I noticed you. Hope I'll see you around._

Well if someone thought I was going to be swept off my feet so easily, they hadn't met Quil. I grabbed my stuff from my locker and tossed the note into the trash.

After school, I headed to the change rooms to get ready for drill team. I still really did loved to dance, but ballet lessons got more and more expensive the older I got. We had a competition coming up that we were focusing on. I was sporting my dance shorts and a tank top.

"Hey, Claire," Natalie greeted me. I only really talked to her in drill, but she was nice. "I heard you got a Crush gram from someone."

"How did you know?" I asked, mentally smacking the person who came up with this blasted fundraiser.

"Because I know who sent it." So it was final; someone was playing with me. I groaned.

"Okay, why would someone spend money to send someone a Crush gram?"

"To tell you they have a crush on you?" she answered as if the answer was obvious. I stared at her blankly.

"Okay, other than that."

"Oh, you think someone is playing a prank on you," she clued in. "Yeah, no, this person's pretty into you, Claire."

"Why do you say this person as if I'm not supposed to know the gender? It's a girl, isn't it? Do people think I'm a lesbian?" Natalie recounted her facts.

"No, no, I just didn't want to say too much. Yeah, it's probably safe for you to know he's a guy. Yes, he's really into you."

"Oh, well then. Uh, you can tell him thanks, but no thanks," I said, trying not to sound rude about it.

"You're blowing him off without even knowing who he is? Aren't you even curious?" she asked.

"I'm just not interested in dating anyone right now," I said back.

"Claire, at least give him a chance." Crap, peer pressure. Luckily our practice was starting, so I couldn't answer her. We did our warm ups and the teacher began to instruct us in how the routine was to go. All the while, I pictured it was Quil who'd be watching me and cheering me on.

Quil

I collapsed on my too-small king bed the second I got home after running patrols. La Push had been pretty quiet since the Cullens moved out, excepting Renesmee and her family, but we liked to be on our guard.

"Hey, anything out there?" Jacob asked, knocking once on my open door.

"Not a one," I answered into my pillow. I heard him step away from my door.

"Hey, Jake," I called, turning my head up. Jacob walked back to my door. "When was it okay for you to start seeing Nessie?"

"Uh, well, we waited for Edward and Bella's okay, but actually we talked a little about it before."

"How young was she when you first brought it up?"

"Five?" I just nodded, not really knowing if that helped me at all. "You're not doing anything wrong if you like her, Quil." He stepped out, leaving me to figure out what I was supposed to be feeling towards a sixteen year old.

I parked my old car in the parking lot to wait for Claire to come out. Her parents had been really cool with me hanging around Claire so much, especially when my grandfather talked me up to them. They might have even taken advantage of me, relying on me to pick her up from school and feeding her when they came home late. Of course, I was just as pleased as they were to watch her, and she never complained.

Something happened when I saw Claire smiling when she saw me. She was beautiful, not the way she was a few years ago, or even last week. Her smile wasn't a child's smile and her walk didn't strike me before the way it did now. She was the kind of beautiful that made me want to tell her so. She was wearing her tight tank top and really short shorts. I may need to have a talk with her about her clothes. This was dangerous. This was bad.

"Hey Quil!" she sang. Even her voice seemed nicer. How was this happening? Did I always feel like this? Couldn't these feelings just hold on for a few more years? Claire swung open her side of the door and hopped in. I grunted a hello. I tried to look at her. No, that would no doubt lead to staring, and staring was something I should not be doing.

"Is my place okay?" I asked, still looking straight ahead. I guess she noticed my evasiveness.

"Uh, can we just stop by my house so I can get a poster board?" I was sure her house had no food, so I wanted to either take her out or cook something at my house. Our drive was silent and awkward, which was exactly the opposite of what I needed. I needed things to be normal, even play up the fact that she was a child.

"Hey, did you want to drive today?" Yes, fear. Fear would definitely replace all inappropriate feelings of a sixteen year old.

"Sure!" she answered. I pulled over and held the door open for her for her to climb in and hopped into the other side. "Don't forget your seatbelt!" I clicked in and braced myself.

"Brake, Claire, brake!" I screamed as she rushed up the driveway going up on the curb. The car was totally diagonal and too close to her father's car.

"Why is my dad home?" Claire asked out loud. Obviously I didn't know, so I just shrugged.

"Take your time," I said. "I'll wait out here." I leaned back in my seat as I watched her hair flowing behind her as she ran in. My mind began to wander to the years that I had been coming to this house. The thing about living in a small town place is that nothing ever changes. The people that lived here were the same. And they mostly had the same cars. Except for that one parked in front of Claire's. It was a red Mini Cooper convertible. Oh crap, her dad was mysteriously home and a strange car was parked in front of her house. _There's no way._

Just then I heard an inhumanly possible pitch of a scream and I jumped into the driver's side to start the car. Claire bolted out of house, slamming the door behind her and tumbled into the car. I could only imagine how horrific the image was that she saw, and cursed her stupid father for being an ass.

"Pull over, Quil," she requested after a minute after I pulled away and I did so quickly. She stumbled out of the car and threw up. I turned the car off, grabbed a napkin from the glove compartment, and went to hold her hair back. When she was finished, I wiped her mouth, holding my breath and picked her up. Her door was still open, so I sat in the car and held her while she cried.

Claire

Well this was an awesome day. Quil acts weird, and Dad is having sex with a redhead in the hallway. I ran to the bathroom to throw up at the memory of that. Embry was hovering around me like the world's worst babysitter. Apparently Quil told him to watch me while I was asleep.

"Oh, Claire, what do you need? Soda? Crackers?" I guess Quil just told him I was sick. I flushed the toilet and rinsed my mouth.

"Soda would be great, thanks," I said. I fell down on the sofa and Embry handed me a Sprite. "Where's Quil?"

"I dunno. He just said he had to go kick some ass," he said shrugging. Always my hero. I opened my bag and took out my homework while Embry turned on the TV.

I heard Quil's car rumble in and went to the window to see him. I felt better when he was near. I opened the door for him.

"Hey Claire," he said. "How are you feeling?" I shrugged.

"Awful," I replied truthfully.

"I talked with your dad." I winced at his reference. "He's going to talk to your mom tonight. You're going to stay with your Aunt Emily until you feel comfortable to go home. I packed a bag for you." I nodded, my eyes starting to tear up. I couldn't believe what was happening to my family. I felt like I opened a can of worms that needed to have stayed closed. Quil pulled me to his chest. He was beyond warm, but he felt so good to me. My hands reached around his waist and held onto him. I finally stopped sobbing and just let Quil hold me. "Come on, we're going to have dinner at Sam and Emily's and you can get settled." I nodded and he led me into his house to grab my bag and Embry.

I felt horrible about imposing on my aunt and uncle when they already had so little room in their house. Emily kicked my nine-year old cousin out of his room to sleep with his two brothers to make room for me. I liked being in their house. The boys definitely made things lively here, plus Quil and his friends were here all the time. It was a nice change from the quietness of my own home. I decided that however disgusted and disturbed I was feeling about everything, that I would at least be considerate of my mom. I knew she loved my dad and however she was feeling, it was much worse than how I felt. I cried for my mom and hoped that things would work out for her, if no one else.


	4. Too Young for You

**Welcome Curly96 and Missspiderfish for alerting my story, and thanks to Missspiderfish for commenting! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Too Young for You

Claire

I was in a daze while I was stretching during track practice. I kept going over things in my head, wondering where things in my family went wrong. We weren't close. My mom was a manager at the bank, which let her come home during nights and holidays, but she never missed a day. My dad was a security guard for the mini mall, so his schedule was a bit sporadic. I didn't really realize how little my parents actually talked. Sure, we had dinner together, but that was pretty much the end of it. Maybe I was spending too much outside of my house. Maybe there was something else I should have been doing. My thoughts were interrupted when the coach blew the whistle for everyone to gather.

"Okay, gang; I want you guys to get into partners with someone who is doing an event similar to yours. Just pick one event. You will time or measure each other and then try to beat your own time. After you do three sets, take a 10-minute break, walking around the track to keep your heart rate up, and then do one of your other events." He blew the whistle again and people started pairing up.

"Hey, Claire, you want to pair up?" someone asked me. I turned around to see a light-haired guy that I had seen around, but never really talked to.

"Uh, sure," I said standing up, wiping the grass off my butt. He went to the coach and grabbed a timer and found a spot on the track. I went first and we alternated until our 3 reps were done. We were supposed to try to beat our previous time, but my energy was blown after each run, and I got slower and slower. I guess that was Coach's way of making us push harder even when we were tired. The guy slung the timer around his neck and we took our walk around the track.

"I'm Adam," he said to me.

"I'm Claire," I introduced, though he obviously already knew my name.

"Yeah, I know. I have a class with you, chemistry." I nodded as if I knew that, but I didn't. I hated chem with a passionate fury, so I rarely even looked up from my desk. Plus the class size was abnormally big.

"How are you doing in that class?" I asked.

"Pretty good," he replied confidently. So he was one of those. I made a face.

"I don't get it at all. I have no idea I've gotten this far in the semester. Every time I finish reading the chapter, I learn absolutely nothing new. He chuckled.

"Well, if you ever need any help, I can tutor you." I nodded. "You need any help for our test on Monday?" My jaw dropped.

"We have a test on Monday?" I gasped. He laughed.

"Yeah, the one we've been prepping for in class?" I sulked.

"It's a big test, isn't it?"

"A bit. Fifteen per cent of our grade." I sulked more.

"Wonderful."

"You want to study for it together?" I was still frowning, but I nodded. I couldn't fail chemistry. We finished up our break and started our 400m sprints.

Adam walked me to where I usually waited for Quil, which was nice since the student parking lot wasn't all too close to where I waited. We exchanged phone numbers to meet over the weekend. I saw Quil's car pull up and waved bye to Adam.

"Hey Quil!" I said climbing into the passenger's side.

"Hey Claire. Who's your friend?" he asked, pointing to Adam.

"Adam. He was my partner today in track today. He's also in my chem class."

"I didn't know you had any guy friends."

"I do, I just don't hang out with them," I said, maybe slightly lying.

"You hanging out with this guy?" I sensed a hint of something sinister and I wasn't sure what to make of it.

"He's going to tutor me in chemistry." I notice Quil's knuckles getting white on the steering wheel, like he was going to rip it off. "Quil? Are you okay?" He closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, that's good. You should hang out with guys.. your age." What he did mean by that? Did he not want to hang out with me anymore? I sat back in my chair, really feeling our age difference. I was too young for him; of course he didn't want to spend all his time babysitting a silly little girl. I stared out the window, letting the realization change the world around me.

"Quil, can you take me to Aunt Emily's?" He didn't say anything, and I didn't look at him. An uncharacteristically silent ride later, I climbed onto my aunt's driveway. "Thanks for the ride, Quil," I said shutting the door behind me and running into the house.

"Welcome back, Claire," Emily cheerfully greeted me, but I just ran past her and into my cousin Austin's room. I lay down on the bed and screamed into my pillow. I felt my world falling apart. My family was torn and Quil was getting tired of me. I whimpered into the pillow and let my emotions get the better of me.

"Claire?" Aunt Emily called quietly as she entered the room. I had stopped crying then, but my face was still puffy. "Honey, what's wrong?" She came and sat on the bed, stroking my hair. I tried to form the sentences in my head to tell her that I was sad because Quil didn't want to hang out with me anymore, but everything made me seem like a 4-year old baby.

"I miss my mom," I said. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't why I was crying.

"Sweetie, your mom misses you too. She's having a hard time herself. I'm sorry she hasn't called." I just nodded. Aunt Emily kissed my cheek and left me alone in the room. I looked out the window. Quil's car was still in the driveway, and he was standing right beside it, looking through my window, at me. I couldn't read his expression, but it made me feel worse. I looked away from his and lay back down on the bed. By the time I looked back out the window, he and his car were gone. I splashed cold water on my face and started on my homework. I pulled out my planner to see what I needed, and found the paper that Adam had written his phone number on. I guessed that now was as good as a time as any to call him. For the first time in my life, I was free all weekend.

"So you feeling better about the test?" Adam asked me as we ate our slices of pizza. We had spent the past two hours going over every kind of bond, element, and mole. I couldn't say that I learned the entire year's worth of chemistry, but I definitely felt a little better about the test.

"Yeah, and thanks so much for helping me," I answered. "I doubt you got much studying done."

"They say the best way to study is to teach it to someone else." I took a bit of pizza and leaned back on the couch. We were studying at his house. It was much emptier and quieter than my aunt's house.

"Should we offer your mom some pizza?" I asked him.

"She already left for work like an hour ago. She told me to tell you she says good luck on the test."

"Oh, well thank you for the prompt message," I said smiling. "Where's your dad?"

"My parents got divorced when I was 8."

"Oh, sorry." He made a face and shook his head.

"Guy's a douche. Got some girl pregnant who was only a few years older than us."

"Yeah, that sounds like a prick," I agreed. He nodded, staring at his pizza. "My dad kinda did the same thing. Well, not the whole pregnant teen thing. She was a redhead in the hallway."

"You walked in on it?" I nodded.

"That's gotta be bad."

"Still makes me want to throw up when I think about it," I said.

"How's your mom?" he asked.

"My aunt says she hasn't been out of her bed for days, except to go to work. I haven't talked to her for a few days now."

"Oh, this is happening now? I'm sorry. How are you doing?" I shrugged.

"I was better when I had my best friend, but I guess we're drifting." He stared at me awkwardly before throwing down his crust and getting up.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said getting his keys. I stared at him like he was crazy.

"Go where?"

"I think I know what might make you feel a little better." I followed him out to his car.

Twenty minutes later, we were hiking through the forest until we were on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was really high up, the kind that made me want to lie on my belly to make sure I wasn't going to get dizzy and fall off.

"So what do we do here?" I asked him.

"Scream."

"What?"

"When my parents got divorced, I used to get in a lot of fights. I was always angry. So my mom brought me out here once and told me to just scream. Just anything and everything, no matter how trivial or malicious it was. Just put it out there. Doesn't have to be your real opinion, just stupid feelings that you want to release. No questions can be asked. So I tried it, and it felt pretty damn good." I felt so silly and embarrassed to just scream, especially when I barely knew Adam. He obviously caught on my nervousness.

"I hate you, Dad, for ruining our family!" he shouted. "I hope you and your bitch rot in hell!" He swung an arm for effect, then gestured for me to try. I stood there and smiled, trying to muster up the courage to do the same.

"I hate you, Dad, for bringing that skank in our house!" I cried. I felt childish and embarrassed, but a certain weight did come off my shoulders.

"I hate that I have to be so damn perfect all the time because everyone around me failed!" he shouted.

"Mom, I think you're selfish for not picking yourself up for five minutes to call me!"

"I hate that the toilet seat always has to be put back down!"

"I hate chemistry and I don't care if I fail!"

"I think global warming is a hoax!"

"I want to watch more television!"

"I want to go to college and get out of this loser small town!"

"I hate that I'm too young for you, Quil!" My last words rang through the air and echoed past the trees. We were both breathing hard. We were silent for awhile, just staring at the majestic scenery around us. It was still, as if it absorbed our words and pain and made it disappear. Adam nudged me and smiled. He had a nice smile, and it made my heart beat a little faster. His bangs hung over his blue eyes, which were kind and forgiving. I smiled back at him and turned to walk towards our car. He was right. I felt much better.

Quil

_I hate that you're too young for me too, Claire._

***sigh… poor Quil. Don't worry.. I won't put him through too much.. well… sort of. We'll see. Stick around! :D**


	5. Keeping Track

**I am sick.. i am not feeling well at all. *sigh....**

Keeping Track

Claire

"So, how was studying with Adam?" Mel asked me during our english class.

"It was really fun, actually," I said smiling, thinking about our little thing on the cliffs.

"Did you guys, do more than a little studying?" She was giving me a look that was probably not supposed to look creepy.

"We didn't make out, if that's what you mean," I said giving her my own look.

"What a shame. He's pretty hot. That dirty blond hair of his with the bangs that he has to flick away from his face. That's a good look for him." I rolled my eyes at her and tapped my pencil on the desk.

"Still haven't heard from Quil?" I shook my head without looking at her.

"It shouldn't even matter, right? It's not like we're really anything, you know? He's too old to be my friend, and he's not like a big brother. It's just weird, you know? He's always been there."

"If you ask me, I think it's a little rude he just let you go," she said matter-of-factly.

"He told me I should be hanging out with boys my age," I reminded her. "Maybe that was his way of… telling me to hang out with boys _my_ age." I let my face fall on my desk with my arms dangling on my sides.

"'Tis a cruel world it is for Claire," Mel said stroking my hair.

"I miss Quil," I whined without putting my head up.

"I know, Baby, but you'll do all right."

Friday night was a home football game, and the drill team was performing during the halftime show. It wasn't a big deal, but I just loved to dance and had been looking forward to this performance. Mel had promised that she would come and watch our show. She was a phenomenal dancer as well, but drill team dance wasn't her thing, but I loved that she supported me. But it was some one else's support I wanted.

"I can't believe this school has a drill team," Mel commented while I was stretching.

"You know you want to join," I said. She scoffed.

"I dance for reals, girl. Not military band music dance." I laughed. Our routine was a bit structured and stiff, but I thought we were pretty good considering our size. Our coach blew the whistle to round us up. "That's my cue. Break a leg." Mel ran off to the bleachers while I practiced a few more steps before it was time to go on.

The field cleared and the band started up. The 8 of us marched out to the center of the field, throwing our straight arms and kicking out our legs in perfect sycronization. I looked up the stands one more time, searching for Quil, but I knew he wasn't watching.

Quil

I stood beside the bleachers in the shadows. I never missed Claire's shows, and I wasn't starting today. I had seen her practicing, but she looked strange and awkward doing it herself. Seeing her part of a group really made her stand out. That was Claire.

Kim

Our track meet was tomorrow, so we met after school on Monday to get a little extra practice in. Coach was working us hard, so we barely had time to mingle. I stuck with Adam most of the time, but it was hard to converse whilst doing the wall sit for 5 minutes and 38 million laps, jumps, and suicides. We were all dead beat when training was over. Afterwards, we got the usual speech about what to eat and wear and what time we were meeting to leave. Finally he dismissed us to cool down for 10 minutes by walking around the track before sending us home.

"Claire," Adam called as he came up behind me to walk together. He kind of pulled me back so that we lagged behind from the crowd. "I wanted to tell you something."

"What's up?" I asked casually.

"So, I heard you got a Crush gram a few weeks ago."

"Who keeps saying these things?" I exclaimed, a little embarassed.

"People like gossip, especially in a school this small," he said shrugging. "Anyway, you ever find out who it's from?"

"No, but Natalie said she knew. I don't really know if I'm interested though."

"Not even a little bit?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Maybe curious just the sake of being curious. But I don't really want to date anyone right now."

"Just as well. Guy probably did something clever like give you a follow up note that said he noticed you and thought you were really cool and he doesn't mean to creep you out." I slowed down, remembering that I had never mentioned that second note to anyone, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You sent me the Crush gram." He smiled shyly and nodded.

"I know it was kinda cheesy and very impersonal, but I thought, what the hell. That's what you do, right? You tell someone you like how you feel." He was looking forward, not looking at me. I thought it was sweet how shy, yet honest he was about his feelings.

"So that's why you wanted to study with me?" I said, not really asking. He nodded.

"I didn't mean to corner you or anything; I just wanted to spend some time with you." I nodded and smiled. "I'm not expecting anything. I know you threw out my notes." O crap. I scrunched up my face to show my embarrassment and regret. He just laughed.

"I'm so sorry. I'm just... kinda into someone else.. right now," I muttered guiltily. He nodded as if he knew.

"Quil." I blushed and nodded.

"Nothing will ever come of it, but..." I started.

"You don't have to explain," he said. "I'm fine just being your friend." We finished our cool down and went to the locker rooms to shower and change. When I came out, Adam was waiting for me.

Out of habit, I walked us over to the place where Quil usually picked me up before I realized that I didn't think to ask my aunt or uncle to pick me up. I doubted Quil was coming to get me. Maybe he'd ask someone to get me. That seemed like the sensible thing to do. If worst came to worst, maybe Adam would be able to drop me off. As the parking lot came into view, I was utterly surprised to see a very tall dark man standing beside a familiar car.

"That's Quil, isn't it?" Adam asked when he noticed my pacing had slowed. I nodded.

"Do you want to meet him?" I offered politely, though I hardly thought this was the time.

"Maybe another day. You look like you need to talk to him." I looked at him.

"You know, you're oddly perceptive for a guy." He laughed.

"I'll catch ya later, Claire," and he turned his back to walk to the student parking lot. I made my way over to Quil who was leaning against his car with his arms crossed. He was wearing a polo t-shirt and shorts with flip flops. I really liked this look on him.

"Hey Claire," he greeted me with a small smile. I wasn't sure if he was happy to be here or if he just came because that's what he does.

"Hi Quil," I said back.

"I wasn't sure if you were still mad at me, but I figured you needed a ride." I looked at him confused.

"I wasn't.. I thought you were mad at me."

"Why would you think that, Claire?" he asked almost amused.

"You said… I just thought you were getting tired of me. You seemed like you didn't want to hang out with me anymore." And there was the childish conversation I had been trying so hard to avoid.

"Claire, come here." He stretched out his arms and I fell into him in a huge bear hug. His body was ridiculously warm, even through his clothes. "I meant what I said, but that's not because I don't want to be around you. I just feel sometimes that I take up all of your time. Yyou should go out and have fun."

"I do have fun." He said nothing, so I continued. "Quil, are you gonna to the track meet tomorrow?" I asked him.

"I'll be there. I'm your coach, remember?" I gave Quil one last squeeze before letting him open my door for me.

Quil

Claire had never gotten mad at me before. I didn't even know what happened. One second I was convincing her, maybe more myself, that she needed to have more friends. The next thing I knew she was silent, and that wasn't like her. Now what was I supposed to do about that? She ran into Sam's house and shut herself in her room. Emily said that it was because of her parents, but I didn't think so.

"Maybe it's time you told her," Emily suggested. "She's old enough to understand and far more mature than most of the guys to handle it." I shook my head. I wanted nothing more than to share my world with my one and only Claire, but she deserved to choose her path.

"If you could decide to marry a wolf or man, which would you choose?"

"I would choose Sam."

"You would choose to have him carry the responsibility of the reservations safety."

"I am very proud of who he is, and what you all do. And I'm glad I was chosen to be his partner." I shook my head.

"You know how dangerous our circle is." She gave me a weak smile and ran a finger over one of her scars.

"They're just scratches, Quil. But some things can never heal," she said, putting her hand on my heart. I got Emily's point, but I knew being the object of an imprint wasn't all cakes and rainbows. It wasn't about her maturity. Once Claire knew, normal was over for her. I didn't mention my fear of how she'd feel about me once she knew, though Sam already knew and I guessed he said something to his wife.

I didn't call her the next day or over the weekend. I thought she needed some space for whatever it was that was making her upset. While my intentions were right, I was going crazy not knowing where she was or what she was doing. I considered following her, but that probably wouldn't count as space. So I did what a wolf does when we're stressed. I phased. I ran up and down for miles in the dense forests. I howled until it hurt and took my anger on the unsuspecting trees. I knew she'd come back to me, she just had to, but it was unbearable of think of the reality of letting her go to go grow up. I ran for two days, sleeping and eating outdoors. The second day, I heard screaming and shouting. At first I thought someone was in trouble until I realized I was hearing coherent words. Then I heard Claire shouting. She was so far; I couldn't catch her scent from where I was, but I could hear her. She was angry at her father, just like the boy she was with. No doubt he was her new shoulder to cry on. They just screamed nonsense of their hurts. Then she shouted at me. I didn't understand what she meant, but I had my own meaning when I mentally responded. I was falling for her, and that wasn't okay. She was too young. She was naive and innocent and I was the sick, perverted 29-year old falling for her.

Now I was holding her after days of not speaking to her, hearing for the first time of her misunderstanding of what I had said. I wanted her to have the teenage experiences that I never did, but I still needed her. I needed to be part of her life no matter what she chose. I was relieved when she accepted my explanation. I took her back to Sam's so we could hang out with her family.

Claire

The next day, after first period, the track team members met at the buses to head over to Forks High School for the track meet. There were only a few of us, so we had one of those mini buses to haul us over. I sat with Adam and a friend of his, Jeremy. He was a long distance runner. We got to the school where a bunch of other schools were meeting. I got the schedule of events. They usually did the short distances last, so Adam and I got to hang out and watch our teammates' events. We cheered Jeremy on and drowned him in water when he crossed. He placed sixth in the 1.5k, which wasn't bad at all. I talked and laughed with my teammates and event met some other people from other schools.

Finally it was the girls 100 meter. I gave myself one last stretch and ran on the spot to get my adrenaline up. I looked around the stands and was pleasantly surprised when I saw Aunt Emily, Sam, Embry, and Quil in the bleachers with embarrassing posters and noisemakers. I waved at them before taking my spot on the track. The gun fired and I sprinted with fire under my feet. I remembered the day when Quil was helping me train. I had such warm and wonderful memories with him. My arms pumped speed into my legs and the world around me blurred. I saw a few people hit the finish line, but I didn't see how many were before me. I slowed down and was tackled by Adam and my teammates.

"Claire! You did so good!" a girl exclaimed.

"How did I place?" I asked.

"It was a close race; it was hard to tell," Jeremy answered.

"They'll announce it after they get all the times in," Adam said. I knew I would have no hope with the 200 or 400 meter, but 100 was my best event, so I really wanted to do well for Quil.

Finally the printout came out and I ran to see how I did.

"Third place!" I shout ecstatically. I was the only one to place in an event from our school, and that a big deal since there were so few of us competing from our school. Adam was the first I hugged in my happiness, though I noticed he held the hug a little longer than I intended. I turned around to see Quil standing a bit away. I broke away from the crowd to tell him the news.

Quil

I saw Claire running over the finish line, a close third. For a human, I had to admit she was fast. I got up and decided to find a way to congratulate her.

"Quil, we're not allowed down there," Emily warned me.

"Don't worry, I won't get caught," I said giving her a wink. I was sure Embry was about to follow me, but Emily nudged Sam who grabbed him to sit back down. When the security guy wasn't looking, I ever so gracefully hopped over the barrier and walked towards Claire's crowd. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw that boy hug Claire. I felt like someone punched me in the stomach, and I haven't felt that for real in a long time. It was a long hug too, the kind long enough to send electricity through people. I didn't like this kid. But when she saw me, her eyes lit up and that jealousy went away. If this girl was going to regulate my emotions like this, I was sure to have a heart attack in the near future.

"Quil, I got third!" she exclaimed running to me. I caught her as she jumped to hug me.

"Congratulations, Kid! You were awesome."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Quil," she said quietly in my ear. Feeling her breath on me made me want to melt and I held her closer.

"It was all you, kid," I said pulling away from her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her little friend staring at us with jealousy in his eyes. A part of me wanted to keep her to myself and away from that pubescent teen far away, but the better part of me let her go. "I should go, I had to sneak in here and I'm pretty sure someone's gonna recognize me."

"Yeah, you do stand out a bit," she said laughing. She gave me one more hug before running off to her friends. I rejoined the gang on the bleachers and watched Claire get her medal.

Claire

"Hi, Baby, I heard you did well at your meet today," my mom said on the phone. I was surprised when my aunt handed me the phone to hear my mom's voice. She still sounded sad, but at least she was talking.

"Yeah, I got third place on my best event," I tried to say without sounding disappointed that my mom wasn't there.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there, Honey," she said.

"It's okay, mom, I understand." I paused a bit, afraid of my next question. "So what's going on with you and dad right now?"

"He's moved out," she said, and I didn't ask where. "I'm really sorry you saw what you saw."

"I'm sorry you're going through what you are too, Mom."

"Would you mind staying at my sister's for one more night, Claire?" she asked. "I just want to make some changes."

"Sure, Mom. Anything you need."

"I'm sorry I'm not much a person right now and it took me so long to talk to you about this," she said.

"It's fine, Mom. I'll see you tomorrow." I hung up and called Adam to talk to him about my conversation with my mom before he came to pick me up for our track team's celebration party.

**Yay! They're back together! I know it's very typical to have some kind of fall out between them, but it's unavoidable, so whatch gonna do. I tried to base the track meet on one that I participated in, but I'm things have changed in the great many years since I have done that.. so I was a bit vague. Anyways.. this chapter isn't as fun as the next ones, so don't go anywhere!**


	6. Someone's Girl

**My most profound apologies for getting this chapter up so late! I was gone on vacation to Canada visiting my mom and sister and I'm moving here in Cali, so my access to time and a computer is limited. Anyway, here it is! And Thank you thank you thank for everyone who commented! Keep 'em coming!!**

Someone's Girl

Quil

_Quil, will you stop beating yourself over the head? It is okay for your to feel this for your imprint!_ Jacob urged me. My brothers were getting real irritated of my constant battle with myself between my head and heart.

_Whatever happens, you won't do anything to hurt her_, Embry pointed out.

_Do you guys hear yourselves? You're telling me it's okay for having feelings for a child?_ I spat.

_It's not like you're a pedophile. We can see what it is that you feel for her_, Seth added.

_It's not like I'm not noticing those other aspects about her though_, I grumbled. I unintentionally recalled Claire in her short track shorts and the things that passed through me when she hugged me.

_She's yours, Quil_, Jacob said. _You're just noticing things about her, but it's like you dream every night of banging her._

_And what if I do?_

_It'd be gross and so weird_, Embry said_, but we'd still get it. And you should get it._

_Thanks anyway, guys._ I phased out and threw my sweats on, heading towards my house. I had a few web projects I wanted to get out of the way for work before picking up Claire.

Claire

Adam and his friends started hanging out with Mel and me during lunch time. It was nice to have a larger group to talk to. His friends were funny and personable and there was little room for awkward silences. When the bell rang, Adam walked me to my locker.

"Hey Claire," he started when I was puling my books out. "You want to go out with me?" I froze in shock at the question. I had thought we were clear that I wasn't into dating anyone. I hoped I hadn't led him on or anything. "I know you're into Quil and all," he continued, "but maybe you should try someone you can go out with, see how you like it." To be honest, I hadn't given Adam's crush on me a second thought since I found out he sent me the notes; I sort of forgot about it. I really liked having him as a friend and I didn't want to lose that.

"Adam," I answered, "I don't see this ending well," I gestured to include both of us. "You're seriously the greatest guy, but I don't want to lose you as a friend." He just smiled at me like my words didn't hurt or discourage him.

"Just think about it," he said. "I promise I'll be the perfect gentleman and I'll show you a good time." I just chuckled at his persistence and closed my locker before heading off into my next class.

Quil

I was late getting to Claire. I didn't like to keep her waiting. The cars had already cleared by the time I drove up. I saw her standing there talking to that guy. I didn't like the way he smiled and stared at her. Made me want to stick his face in something warm and squishy. I cracked open my window to see if I could hear what they were talking about. Dog was asking her on a date! I had do some internal man-yoga to keep myself to phasing to attack right there. Claire looked up and saw me, smiling in a way I knew was making that kid jealous. I was real pathetic. I was competing against a kid. This was a new low for me.

"Sorry I'm late," I said when she opened her door.

"No problem, Quil," she said climbing in.

"What were you guys talking about?" I asked casually, pointing at the guy she was talking to.

"Oh, just stuff."

"You can tell me, Claire, I promise I won't laugh." She blushed.

"He asked me to go out with him, but I told him no, so now he just keeps asking me."

"Do you like him?" She shrugged.

"He's a nice guy." I heard her heart pick up. I guessed she did like him.

"You should go out with him." I said. She looked at me, but I kept my eyes on the road. "If you like him, that is." She didn't say anything, just looked straight ahead.

"Maybe I will," she said quietly, but I heard it. I didn't want her to, more than anything I wanted to keep her from going, but I believed she wanted to go and I wouldn't hold her back from living her life normally.

Claire

Quil took me to my house and stayed with me while I waited for my mom to come home from work. It was the first time coming here since I had walked in on my dad and his redhead. I made Quil scout the place, just in case, before I walked in. My mom had rid the house of photos and remnants of him. I guessed this was what she did during her extra day without me. Quil watched me as I did my homework and I told him about my day.

"So who is this guy that asked you out?" he asked. I smiled at his attempt to ask me casually. He was as overprotective as my dad.

"His name is Adam. I told you about him before."

"He seems to always be around you," he pointed out.

"Yeah, actually he's the guy who sent me the Crush gram and the note in my locker." He folded his giant arms across his broad chest.

"Note?"

"Oh, guess I never told you about that. Yeah, he wrote me a 'secret admirer' note, but I still thought it was a prank, so I just threw it out." I noticed the can he was holding was starting to be crushed. "Quil, are you mad?" He seemed to shake something off and then smiled before taking another sip.

"No, I'm good." He told me a little bit about a project he was working on for work and we talked and joked until my mom finally came home with bags full of groceries.

"Hi, Claire," Mom called as she came through the door. Quil got up to take the bags from her. "Thank you Quil. Will you be joining us for dinner?" I was sure he was going to decline, but I begged him with a look for him to stay. I could only imagine major awkwardness during dinner between just me and my mom.

"Sure, I'd love to. Is there anything you need help with?" he asked.

"No, you do whatever it was you were doing. I'll call you when dinner is ready." We headed up to my room so I could use the computer.

Dinner consisted of baked ziti and small talk. Quil asked my mom about her work and I filled her in on things going on with me, aside from the whole date thing with Adam. Quil and I cleared the table and washed the dishes. Mom had made a whole casserole dish full of baked ziti, and somehow it all disappeared. I guess there was a reason Quil was that tall.

"How are you doing, Mom?" I asked her when we had some time alone after Quil left. I knew she would hate talking about my dad leaving us, but it was inevitable.

"It's very humbling," she said. "I knew things weren't the same, but I never thought he'd do this." I took my mom's hand.

"We'll be okay," I said. I climbed onto the sofa chair beside my mom and gave her a hug.

"So where's he taking you?" Quil asked me seriously while I was putting on my make up. I shrugged.

"I don't know. He said something about stopping by his place." I looked at Quil through the mirror to see his eyes widen as I did my makeup. "Relax Quil. Nothing's gonna happen. I'm not easy," I said confidently. He seemed to relax a bit, but not much.

"Maybe this was a bad idea. I think you should cancel." His worry was starting to amuse me.

"This was _your_ idea, remember?" I reminded him. "I promise I'll be safe." I started to pin my hair up. I bent over my desk to get a closer look at the mirror. I saw his eyes move to my outfit. I knew what his next words were gonna be.

"That dress is too short," he said. "I can see everything!"

"You can barely see my knees."

"It's too tight."

"I'm breathing fine."

"The color looks bad."

"It's black." He sighed and gave up.

"You look very nice." I smiled at my victory and finished putting my hair up. I pulled a black cardigan from the closet. The door bell rang and Quil left to answer it.

"Be nice!" I screamed, trying to hurry and finish packing my stuff so Adam and Quil wouldn't be alone together too long. I put my essentials in a small bag and ran downstairs.

Adam was looking a tad nervous at the door as Quil was staring him down. Apparently they had some kind of talk.

"Have fun, Claire," Quil grumbled.

"Thanks, Dad," I said sarcastically before heading out the door with Adam, leaving Quil at the door of my house.

**Hope you guys liked! Review and let me know. If there's more reviews, I'll be more tempted to hurry the next chapter. :D**


	7. The Date

The Date

Claire

Adam opened my door for me and I hopped into his car. I looked back at Quil who was leaning against the doorframe, slightly in front of it since he was just a bit too tall to just stand under it. I smiled and waved, but he just stared. I wondered why he looked so sad.

I was nervous when Adam pulled into his driveway. I had spent the past hour convincing Quil that nothing was going to happen tonight, but now I wasn't so sure. It made me feel minutely better when I saw another car in the driveway. Maybe his mom was home.

"That's my brother's car," Adam said reading my mind, "but don't worry, he won't bother us." I laughed nervously and started playing with my hair. What was I thinking? How did going to a guy's house on the first date not scream 'slut' to me?

I got out of the car and Adam led me to his house.

"Brad! I'm home!" he hollered. I heard some mumbling from whom I assumed was Brad. I stood awkwardly in Adam's living room while he grabbed a paper bag from the refrigerator. He guided me to a part of the house that I had never been to before, the garage. He flicked the lights on to a cleared carpeted garage with a really big bean bag chair, the kind from Love Sac, and a white sheet hanging on the wall. Apparently his family used the garage as a rec room. I stared at my surroundings while he pulled stuff out of the paper bag and put them in the microwave on the side. While that was running, he turned a projector on. The DVD menu for Casablanca popped up as the microwave went off. I sat myself on the big beanbag.

"Casablanca?" I asked. "Aren't teenage guys really into action and horror movies?" He laughed.

"Ingrid Bergman is foxy fine," he answered, giving me a wink. He put a boxful of chicken and two cans of soda in front of us and sat down beside me on the bean bag, hitting play on the movie.

"So what is all this?" I asked.

"It's a dinner and a movie date, the way a first date should be," I blushed at his knowledge that this was my first date ever, "but with a little style. We can talk all throughout the movie with no one to bother us, pause when we want to use the bathroom, or turn it off if we don't like the movie." I laughed.

"You really have everything figured out."

"Almost." He smiled at me weirdly and I took a sip of my soda. We ate and talked all throughout the movie, commenting on the lines and general production. We laughed when one of us moved because of the other shifting in the bean bag chair. Halfway through the movie, Adam reached his arms back and put one around my shoulders. We were sitting so close and my heart began to pick up. I had promised Quil that nothing was going to happen, and here I was in a very going-to-happen position. I felt so bad, but I didn't know how to stop it. I turned my face slightly to see Adam looking down at me. He wasn't as tall as Quil, but he was a good 3 inches taller than me, and I wasn't too short myself. He gave me a look like he was thinking about kissing me. I looked back at him, and though my heart was pounding at the thought of my first kiss, I realized that didn't want it to be with Adam. Adam was super nice and sweet, but he wasn't the guy for me. I looked away from his lingering eyes and looked down at my hands.

"It's Quil, isn't it?" he asked. I nodded embarrassed and covered my face with my hands.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm a loser, but I can't." Adam hugged me with the arm that was around my shoulder.

"So who exactly is this Quil? What is he to you?" I removed my hands from my face just slightly and took a moment to think about that.

"I guess a family friend. I've known him my whole life. He's a friend of my aunt and uncle."

"Really? He doesn't seem that old." I thought about it. I never really wondered of his age. I knew he was in his late 20's, but I didn't really have a frame of reference of what a late 20's guy should look like.

"I guess he just has a young face," I said.

"And he just always hangs around you?"

"Yeah. When I was younger I hung out with my aunt and uncle a lot, so he was always there, then eventually we started hanging out on our own. He's like a mentor or..."

"A big brother?" Adam finished for me. I cringed and sighed.

"Yeah, a big brother." I threw my body back into the bean bag chair. That was how Quil saw me. A little sister. I would forever be Little Sister Claire to him. I rolled my head to look at Adam.

"I'm pathetic, aren't I?" He shook his head.

"You'll get over it, or not. Either way, you're not pathetic."

"You're a great guy, you know that?" I said genuinely. He laughed and nodded.

"I do my best."

"So you're not mad?"

"I won't say I'm not disappointed," he said, "but you did warn me. And like I said, I'm happy to just be your friend." I smiled and sat up, my attention turning back to the movie.

"This is a very nice first date.

"So it's official," I said to Mel the following day. "I am totally in love with Quil."

"The date was that bad, huh?" she inferred. I gave her a don't-be-stupid face.

"The date was fine. More than fine. It was a very nice first date. Adam is quite the charmer."

"So what was the problem?"

"That's the thing. Everything was perfect. The evening was perfect, Adam was deliriously a gentleman, and the atmosphere screamed 'makeout now'. And I was even getting butterflies about kissing him... but then nothing. No feelings, no attachment, no desire. I would've traded any minute of it to be with Quil." Mel stared at me with pity.

"Well good luck seducing Quil. He seems the type to be into young blood," she said sarcastically. I threw my head back down on my desk.

"This sucks. It bites ass." Mel patted my back with half interest while flipping through her planner.

"I'm sure it does."

Quil

Something happened on that date. I could feel it. Claire refused to talk about it except to say that nothing happened, which was what she would say if something did happen. She was acting weird around me too. She wasn't as talkative and I caught her staring at me funny, like she wanted to tell me something. She was dressing better too, or less, I should say. The weather was hardly getting any warmer in the old land of Washington, but all of a sudden she was sporting more tank tops, shorts, and skirts. Adam must've made her feel self conscious or something. Or maybe she felt she needed to arouse him to get him to like her more. Men are dogs. If I ever saw that kid again....

I found myself staring at Claire whenever she wasn't looking. No matter how I sliced it, she was becoming a a very beautiful woman in my eyes. It just wasn't right to feel how I did around her. I wanted so much to touch her face or feel her skin against mine. I had to stop thinking like this. Sixteen, I kept repeating to myself. She's only sixteen.

"Can we rent _The Grapes of Wrath_?" Claire asked me when I picked her up from school one day. "I'm supposed to read a few chapters, but I'd rather watch it." As the older one, I probably should've made her read the damn book, but who was I kidding? I never read it, how was I gonna make her? We stopped by the video rental store and got the movie and popcorn and candy before going back to my place.

"Where are Jacob and Embry?" Claire asked when we walked into the vacant house.

"Jacob's probably with his girlfriend and I have no idea where Embry is."

"Jacob has a girlfriend?" Crap. I didn't want Claire to know about Renesmee until after she knew about me being a werewolf since she may noticed her not aging if she were to meet her. But I guessed there was no harm in just knowing she existed.

"Yeah."

"What's she like?"

"She's nice, very smart. Definitely Jacob's type," I answered as vaguely as I could.

"How did they meet?" Ooo... how could I word 'Jacob delivered his best friend's baby and then fell in love with it on his way to kill it' sound less frightening?

"His friend Bella introduced them." I popped the popcorn and Claire turned the movie on.

Of course, 15 minutes into the movie, I fell asleep. I didn't know how long I was out. I was dreaming of an incredible sensation penetrating my skin, like a light tingly touch running up and down my arms and face. It made me nervous, yet excited at the same time. I felt it on my lips now. I felt a kiss on my hand and a fingers brushing on my cheek. This was a good dream. I had never dreamed of Claire like this before; Freud would have definately concluded that I was falling in love with her now. I hated Freud. I let the dream take over me, just basking in the sensations for a few minutes before I realized that I wasn't sleeping at all. I was awake. I was awake on the sofa with my eyes still closed. My head was bent over the couch, slightly leaning over on Claire. It was her fingers were that were running over my skin. She was feeling my arms and touching my face. Why was she touching my face? And why did I feel like this when she touched me? I was aroused and excited in ways that made it difficult to think straight, on top of the fact I had just woken up. I felt Claire's hand rest on my face and I opened my eyes. Her face was so close to mind; she was staring at my lips. Oh crap, I needed to stop this. With her hand still on my cheek, she brought her face to me, touching her soft lips to mine.


	8. What Do We Do Now?

**Yay! It's the chapter everyone has waited for! Thanks for everyone who has been so wonderful about reviewing. You guys made this story possible!**

_Last Time:_

_I felt Claire's hand rest on my face and I opened my eyes. Her face was so close to mine; she was staring at my lips. Oh crap, I needed to stop this. With her hand still on my cheek, she brought her face to me, touching her soft lips to mine._

What Do We Do Now?

Quil

Claire was kissing me. My head was screaming for me to react to stop it, but my body wasn't listening. Actually, it was doing the exact opposite of listening. It was kissing her back. All hopes of propriety flew out the window as this amazing woman kissed me. My lips moved against hers, feeling her cool mouth on mine. Her mouth opened, inviting my tongue to push and flick against hers. She smelled so good, tasted so good; I was drowning in her pheromones. My hands got lonely and found their way to her back, her hair, pressing her closer to me, feeling her body and desire. I heard a sound, a moan. It was too deep to be hers. Took me some time to realize that it was mine. I was moaning into her sweet mouth. I wanted her so badly. I needed to be with her, to know her like this. We lost contact for us to take a breath, but we didn't stop. I hungrily ate at her lips and she responded. Her hot breath on my face drove me wild. I wanted to be hers. Screw normal life. I wanted her to pick me and my life.

The sound of Embry's car snapped me out of my trance and back into reality. I pulled my unwilling lips away and stared into Claire's beautiful sixteen-year old eyes. What had I done? How could I have been so stupid? Claire didn't hear the car yet. We were both breathing hard. I distanced myself from her, leaning forward on my legs on the couch and buried my face in my hands. This was the ultimate bad. This was worse than any of the feelings of love and lust for this girl. At least all of that only involved me, and ultimately my brothers. But Claire was spared, ignorant of my feelings. Now things were mixed up and confusing. This was bad. I stood up without looking at Claire and went into my room. She could probably hear Embry's car by now. The movie was still playing, so she probably continued watching it. I lay down face up on my bed staring at the ceiling.

Claire

I had no idea what had come over me. I didn't mean to go so far. I just wanted to touch him, tease myself just for kicks. It almost seemed natural when he opened his eyes for me to kiss him, like I forgot who I was and where we were. I expected him to push me away again, but he kissed me back. He kissed me. I couldn't believe it, but I didn't want to stop. I was delirious with excitement that I was kissing and being kissed by the man I loved.

Then all of a sudden, he pulled away and left. The world returned and settled. I figured the reaction I had expected had finally dawned on him. What was I thinking? I was trying to put the moves on Quil? I felt stupid and embarrassed. I buried my face in my hands and contemplated the consequences of what I had just done. I heard Embry's car pull up, so averted my attention back to the movie.

"Hey Claire," Embry said walking in. "Where's Quil?" I shrugged and pointed to his room, pretending I was enthralled by the plot of the movie. He threw his wallet and keys on the table and started to make himself a sandwich. My movie ended, so I stretched and quietly walked over to Quil's room while Embry changed the channel to watch TV.

I had no idea how, but I needed to fix this, and waiting would only make it worse. It would be now or never, and never wasn't an option. I lightly knocked on Quil's door. There was no answer. I slowly opened it to see his massive size laid out on his back on his bed, one hand behind his head, the other outstretched to his side. The lights were off and the overcast made his room abnormally dark. I would've thought he was asleep if I didn't notice his eyes blink. I closed the door behind me and walked closer. Seeing him so close again, no reaction in his eyes, brought back the feelings and courage I had before. I wanted him to react to me; it made me feel so distant when he did nothing. I wanted to be close to him.

Quil

A flood of emotions clouded my mind. I couldn't tell what was right and wrong anymore. She was in my dark room, cautiously walking closer to me. I didn't know how to react. Should I push her away and hurt her? Should I play the big brother and tell it was okay? Should I be apologetic for being so inappropriate? Before I knew it, she was standing over me. I couldn't look at her; I stared up at the ceiling, unsure of my next move. I felt the bed bounce as she crawled on it and lay her head on to my arm. I didn't want to pull away. I loved having her so close to me. I took in her maddening scent and took a long, hard blink. Her hair was so soft and my arms seemed perfect for her little head to rest on. We lay like for this a few seconds.

"Why is your heart beating so fast?" she asked me. She could feel my blood pulsating through my arms. I couldn't stop myself from holding back from her.

"I can't be in love with a sixteen-year old," I said in a low tone. She was silent and I closed my eyes.

"Why not?"

"I just can't." She lay beside me in the dark, unwaivered by my confession. Her fingers started to trail my arm; the same movement she had done before. I needed to do something now. I reached over and gently lifted her wandering hand and shook my head at her. "Not yet." She understood my meaning and retracted her hand. She came closer to me and lay her head on my chest. I let her lay there, stroking her hair.

"What do we do now?" she asked me. I thought for awhile of the best solution. My head was swarming with possible paths and outcomes for each one. Finally, I gave up and decided to give in.

"We wait." Either she would get tired of waiting and move on, or hold her end. At least it was clear that nothing would happen between us now. She nodded. I was surprised by how mature she was. She took my words with great stride, and I was admiring her for that. I understood that I would never be able to make her decisions for her; I could only make sure the decisions she did make never harmed her.

Claire

_"_Happy Birthday, Claire!" I saw a flash go off of my insanely startled face as I saw everyone I loved shouting their wishes to me in my aunt's backyard. Quil came up behind me and side-hugged me.

"Happy Birthday," he said winking. I gave him a smile. It had been weeks since our kiss, and we still stayed so close, but things were different. I was starting to see him as someone who was much more than a silly girl's crush. He was a man who was in love with a girl and would wait for her to become a woman. Too bad he would still have to wait since I was only seventeen.

"Quil, I thought you said we were picking up Sam to go to the movies?" I said. He shrugged, giving me a what-can-I-say look.

My mom came and hugged me, wishing me a happy birthday. She put an arm over me and led me to Aunt Emily and Sam. (Sam was really not into being called Uncle Sam, so we agreed that I would just call him Sam.) Sam shoved a huge plate of meat in front of me.

"Happy Seventeenth!" Adam said coming up to me. Adam, Mel, and our small circle of friends were all there.

"Mel, you are so bad! How long did you know about this?" I exclaimed.

"Weeks ago. Your mom and aunt had me invite all of these guys," she said pointing her thumbs at the guys.

"Nice party, Claire," Jeremy spoke up. "When do we get to eat?"

"Better get something now. You have no idea how much these guys eat." They guys laughed and glanced over at the grill. Apparently there was once a gigantic stack of food, because the guys seemed to take my words seriously when they saw the stack now. They shuffled off to get something for themselves. I looked around at everyone who came to wish me well. Mostly were Quil and Sam's friends; I'd known them all my whole life. It was a warm and comfortable setting and I hoped that it would never change. I saw Quil leaning against a table, munching away at his food. I walked over to him.

"Thank you, Quil, for all of this," I said. He just laughed.

"It was your mom and Em," he said after swallowing. "They wanted you to have a good time."

"I am having a good time."

"I'll let them know their mission was accomplished." It was my turn to laugh.

"Hey, since I have you," he pulled a small box out of his pocket, "happy birthday." It looked like he used a paper bag and a whole roll of tape to wrap the box. I laughed internally and unwrapped it. It was a black feather hair pin.

"Quil, it's beautiful!" I said. He took the clip from the box and clipped it in my hair. His fingers brushed my face and danced in my hair only for a few second, but they were enough to send shivers up my spine of ecstasy. When it was fastened, his hands slid down my hair and then my face. The moments were less than seconds before he curled his fingers and retracted. _He loves me_, I kept reminded myself. As long as I knew that, everything was okay.

"I hope you get everything you want, Claire," he said.

"That'll come next year." He laughed out loud and pulled me in a big bear hug. I loved him so much that it hurt, but it felt so good that we were doing things right and waiting for their seasons to come.

The rest of the day consisted of a birthday song, a divine cake made by my aunt Leah, and opening presents from socks to iPods. I took pictures with all of my friends and family and vowed to make a scrapbook, which got my aunt really excited. I realized how fortunate I was to have such a wonderful circle that had done nothing short of spectacular to make me feel loved and important. When it came time to blow out my candles, I wished that every person who stood by me that day would have their own happy ending.

Quil

I knew cars; each had its own personality that I could recognize just from its roar. And I knew the car that I heard over the cheer of the house. I had heard it drive in and out of Claire's home for so many years. I was sure my brothers and sister heard it too, though I they probably didn't recognize it. I left Claire's party to take care of it. I was waiting for him when he drove up, leaning against the garage door with a leg up on the wall with my arms crossed. I did very little to hide my anger.

"You're not doing in there," I said as he stepped out of the car.

"She's my daughter, Quil," Claire's father said back to me. "I have a right to wish her happy birthday." He pushed up his glasses and tried to give me a threatening look.

"I think you revoked that right when you performed your affair for her just outside of her room," I spat. I was so angry I had to be careful not to hit him. He huffed.

"I want to tell her I'm sorry," he said. "If it's not now, I won't be able to say it later."

"Well it needs to be later, because it can't be now. And you owe her that apology to say the least, but not in front of her friends."

"I didn't know there was a party. I figured she'd be here when she wasn't at home. Emily was always good with all this." He sighed. "How did I screw this up?" He looked at me as if I was supposed to give him an answer.

"Is that a trick question?" He chuckled and headed to the driver's seat and pulled something out of the car. "Will you give her this?" He handed me a wrapped present. I hesitantly took it. I watched him drive off while I held his gift in my hand. I wanted to show Claire's dad where he could put this, but I thought better of it. It was Claire's choice whether or not to accept it.

"What should I do with it?" Claire asked me when I gave her the box. Her party had wound down; it was just her mom who was in her aunt and uncle's house. I had pulled her back when everyone wanted to go inside. I shrugged.

"What do you want to do with it?" I asked with my hands in my pockets. She just stared at the gift in her hands, unsure of what to do. "Do you want to throw it out?" She thought for a moment and shook her head. "Do you want to open it?" Again she shook her head.

"You want to keep it?"

"Is that wrong?" Of course I thought it was wrong. Her dad was a prick and gross. But I kept that to myself.

"No, it's not wrong," I answered.

"When should I open it?" I smiled at the notion that she sought my advice on something that had little to do with me.

"Open it when you're ready," I said. She nodded and I put my hand over her shoulder as I had so many times before and led her back into the house.

**Oo.. I had goosebumps when I was writing the kiss scene. I hope Quil kissing a minor doesn't throw any of you guys off. I tried to make it as little about "guys needs" or sex and stuff. I wanted it just to be about connecting in a way that wasn't mistakably brother or friend like.**


	9. Memory Lane

**Thank you thank you thank you for everyone who has commented, favorited, and alerted this story. It has been super fun to write!**

Memory Lane

Claire

I loved loved loved waking up after the Sun had risen, and that is what I did the Sunday after my party. Usually for school, it was still slightly dark when I awoke. My mom had already left for the bank, so it was just me today. I got washed up and showered. I was dried my long hair with a towel when I saw the blue fabric covered scrapbook that my mom had given me. I was eager to get started on it. I wanted to get the scrapbook just right, so I used Post-It notes to mark what events I wanted to hallmark and started looking through my boxes of photos. I wanted to remember the things that stayed constant in my life. I pulled out pictures I liked from school, past birthdays, parties, and hang outs. I laughed at the ones when I put make up on Quil when I was 3. I couldn't believe he went along with that bright idea. I was having a ball looking at myself change over the years. It had been a long time since I had looked through these. I laid them out in chronological order, trying to decide how many pages I wanted to devote to certain events and what pictures would make the cut.

Quil was in almost all of her pictures. I loved looking at him. I loved the way his eyes wrinkled when he smiled big. And then I saw something I had never noticed before. I supposed Quil was old enough to look like he didn't age much, but I wasn't all too convinced that he was aging at all. Even my parents looked older from when I was young. He looked exactly the same, aside from different hair cuts, from when I was a baby to now. Come to think of it, Sam looked the same as well, even though Aunt Emily's face changed to look a little older. Even Jacob, Embry, Aunt Leah, and all of Quil's friends seemed to look exactly the same. _That's weird_, I thought to myself.

I loved the beach. There was nothing boring about it. Even if I went by myself, I'm sure I could stare out at the ocean for hours watching the waves and play with the sand under my toes. It was sunny, and I was going to take advantage of it. I threw on my swimsuit, rubbed on my sunscreen and grabbed a huge beach towel before I ran out to meet Quil who was waiting patiently for me in his car.

"You know what I realized?" I asked him as my skin drank in the sun. I was lying down on my towel; my hands cushioned my head, my eyes closed.

"What?" he asked, taking a swig from a bottle of water.

"You know everything about me. Not just normal stuff, like deep down stuff. You know, what kind of cake I ate on my seventh birthday, the number of times I changed my favorite color, that thinking about my father still makes me want to throw up." I opened my eyes and turned to look at him. He was looking into my eyes, still. "But I know nothing about you."

"You know me, Claire," he defended. I laughed.

"I don't know your birthday, I don't know exactly how old you are, where you go, or why you like a job that requires you to work around some other schedule."

"Would you like to know?" I thought for a bit.

"Why do you never tell me?"

"It will change how you think of me."

"That's impossible."

"Oh believe me, you haven't met impossible." I laughed and smacked him on the leg. He was sitting cross-legged beside me on his own towel. He shrugged. "What would you like to know?" I thought for a bit, not wanting to push my luck.

"Where were you born?"

"On the reservation."

"What were you like when you were a kid?"

"Shy and awkward. A bit too tall."

"Who was your first girlfriend?" He laughed.

"Ellen Hayes. Sixth grade. I sent her a note through a friend for her to be my girlfriend. She sent one back and said yes. That was the only time we talked. We just told everyone that we were dating. Technically, we may still be going out." I laughed at him.

"Who was your first kiss?" I saw him smile with his face in his hand with his elbow in his knee.

"You." I looked over at him with wide eyes.

"Really?" He nodded and chuckled.

"You never kissed a girl? Like in your entire life?"

"Not if you don't want to count my mom, maybe Jacob's sister by accident. She was not cool with that."

"Why not? Have you seen yourself? You are a babe magnet!" I sat up, engulfed in this portion of the conversation. He smiled.

"No one interested me."

"What about me?"

"You interested me." I smiled really big.

"You're my first kiss too."

"I hoped I was." I moved my hand to touch his and thought better to entwine our fingers together. Instead I examined them like I was trying to memorize them. They were huge and rough. I put my hand up to his to compare.

"I wish we didn't have to wait anymore," I confessed.

"I don't mind waiting," he answered. "As long as you're happy in the end."

"I bet you've broken a lot of hearts," I said. He looked up at me.

"I never noticed." I got braver and sandwiched his big strong hand between both of mine.

"So you like me?" He just smiled.

"That's for a later conversation." I nodded. I knew he was trying to be responsible and whatever, so I didn't want to seem like a child and whine about it. "So were we planning to swim or did you put on that swimsuit for tan lines?"

"Well I'm sure you'd prefer me wearing the bikini either way." I laughed and shot up to run to the water. I thought my head start would have helped, but somehow Quil got into the water before me. It was freezing and I was screaming of the shock of it, but Quil didn't care. He splashed me till I was shrieking and jumping, trying to splash him back. Eventually, I figured that the splashes wouldn't hurt so much if I was completely wet and dove deeper into the water. Quil swam after me and I stood up to see him. He grabbed my waist like he used to when I was a kid so I wouldn't go so deep into the water. I threw my legs around him so that he was piggybacking me. It was fun. Hanging out with Quil was always fun.

"Don't you think the way Quil looks at you is a little strange?" Adam asked me one day during track.

"What do you mean?" I asked a little offended.

"I think he likes you." I laughed.

"It's not like that." He laughed.

"Yeah right," he scoffed. "I saw the way he was looking at you at your party." I froze and got serious then just looked away. "Claire, you should just be careful. Guys like that... are creeps."

"What do you mean 'guys like him'?" I asked defensively. "I've known Quil my entire life."

"Exactly, Claire. But he hasn't known you for all of his. There are words to describe guys like that." My temper started to rise and I wanted to hit him.

"You know what, Adam? Even if there was something going on, it's not your business. So let's keep it that way." I stood up and walked as far as I could from him to continue my stretches. How dare he think about Quil that way? That was so not what this was. Quil wasn't a predator looking for jailbait. But Adam's comment bugged me. I didn't like people to think he was a pedophile or anything.

I started working on my scrapbook again. I always thought this was a pastime for old women, but I had to admit how fun this really was and surprised at how creative I was. The more I worked with it, the more ideas I got. Nothing seemed like too much work if I was able to get the look I wanted for each page. I cut letters out of colored paper (the acid-free kind) using fonts that I traced from the computer. I had decided to do the theme of the scrapbook of family. I started going through some Christmas photos when I saw a picture of my dad throwing me up in the air, both of us laughing and smiling, a real Kodak father-daughter moment. What he did to my mom and me was dead awful, but I missed him so much. I ran my fingers over his face. I remembered the times he stayed up with me to help me on homework and the times we all went to the zoo. I remembered him picking me up from school and always greeting me with a huge hug whenever he came home. _Daddy, why did you have to mess things up?_ I looked up from the photo to the still-wrapped present that I had hidden under papers and boxes in the corner of my desk. Yes, Daddy was a doosh **(is there a proper way to spell that word?)**, but he was my dad. I got up to the desk, and I slowly started to tear away at the paper and opened the box. It was a jewelry box, the kind with a dancing ballerina. He knew I loved to dance even though we couldn't really afford lessons for me to learn. I smiled and set the box on my desk. I was glad I didn't throw it away. I was glad my dad didn't forget me.

**I really liked the beach scene. I know the rest was dry, but it's gonna be important later. What do you guys think?**


	10. Daddy's Little Girl

**omg... you guys are no idea how happy i am so many people are reading and commenting on my story. I finally got my computer back, so I can update more often. Yay!! And thanks so much for the people who sent me the proper way to spell douche. Though, I did get some weird ones too like dueche and doueche. lol..! Is it even a real word? Whatever... on with the next chapter!!**

Daddy's Little Girl

"What the hell is he doing here?" I demanded when I walked into the door after Quil dropped me off at home. It was Saturday, so my mom was expected to be home. But not my dad. I could see my mom wanted to get on my case about my language about my dad, but thought better of it.

"Claire, your father and I are just talking," my mom answered from where she sat on the couch. I had evidently walked in on them laughing and talking. I didn't overlook my mom's closeness to Dad and the way her hand lingered on his chest after a friendly slap. I did miss him, but I wasn't ready to see him.

"I'm going back to Quil's," I announced and walked back on out. I knew Quil would be waiting for me; somehow he always knew.

"Claire," he said when I stepped out of the house. He was standing outside of car, leaning on the passenger side with his arms crossed. "You okay?" I shrugged and he opened the door for me to get in. "Is that your dad's car?" I knew he knew the answer, so I didn't answer. He didn't say anything on the way to his house.

I was starving when we got there. No one was home. I went to the fridge and poured myself a glass of juice.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked me. I stared into nothing for a bit and took a sip of juice. Yes, I did want to talk about it, but I had no idea what to say.

"Are all adults like this?" I asked eventually. It was the first thing that came out of my mouth. "Just do whatever they want, don't care who it affects?" He didn't seem to know the answer. I took another sip. "I.. I just don't know what to think," I managed to say sadly. Quil got to me really fast and pulled me to him. I put the glass on the counter and just sank into him. I didn't feel like crying, but I was really sad and confused.

"They shouldn't have done that to you," he said. "It was very irresponsible for them to drag you into something they themselves haven't figured out."

"I missed him though," I said, the tears finally coming. "I was never really close with him, but I missed him."

"He's your dad. Of course you missed him."

"I can't forgive him," I said shaking my head. "How come my mom was so nice to him? She was flirting with him! Isn't she too old to do that?" I pulled away enough to look at Quil accusingly.

"He's your mom's husband, Claire. No matter what happens, she will always love him." I sighed, letting more tears pour out. Quil wiped them away with his fingers. I felt my stomach churn at the idea of my dad coming home. I knew I wouldn't be able to look him. I kept seeing the redhead with him on the floor. I felt Quil bend down from his incredible height and kiss a tear away from my cheek. I closed my eyes and let the sensation replace the pain that had consumed me. More tears came, and he kissed them all away. I wanted him so badly. He made me feel better; I knew I could count on him to always take the hurt away. I turned my head and looked into his eyes. He wanted me too. He loved me too. He touched my chin with his soft finger and gently pressed his mouth to mine. I barely had time to kiss him back when he pulled away. He cupped my face in his two big hands and rubbed my cheeks with his thumb and then pulled me to him. I let out a sigh. I decided to give my parents a chance to be human. I'd learn to deal. As long as I had Quil, I knew I'd be able to handle anything.

"I'm sorry, Claire, for what this must be doing to you," my mom said to me. She had barely touched the cup of coffee that Aunt Emily had made for her. I couldn't go home the night before, so I stayed with her and my uncle, this time sleeping on the couch. I didn't answer her. I had told myself I would try to understand, but I was still angry with her. "I shouldn't have let him stay as long as I did yesterday. I should have considered your feelings. I guess I disillusioned myself to think that everything would go back to normal." She picked up the mug and slowly drank a little bit. There was a long pause before she said anything else. "I was just so tired of missing him. If I put aside my humiliation, betrayal, and even you, I still love him." It was the first time I realized that my mom had her own love story with my dad and that it wasn't over. "At first, of course, I was so mad that he showed up at our house. We argued for maybe hours. In the end, I just broke down and it felt really nice that he cared." She broke off, unable to look at me. I got up from across the table and went to hug her. "Do you hate your father, honey?" I sighed.

"No, Mom. I don't hate him."

"What should I do, Claire?" I was totally caught off guard. My mom was always fragile, but never had she leaned on me for advice. I guessed that she just wanted to know what I wanted her to do.

"Do what you need to be happy, Mom. But I can't be around Dad." She nodded and wiped her tears. "It'll work out."

My junior year of high school was officially over. And now I had no excuse to not get my driver's license.

"Don't be nervous, Claire," Quil said to me encouragingly. I was doing my last practice run on my way to test for my driver's license.. I had gotten a lot better. At least I stopped hitting things altogether. I knew I'd never be able to drive stick, but Quil had insisted that it was important for me to learn.

"What if I fail?" I whined. "What if I stall the car while I drive?"

"You'll be fine. The worst that could happen is you'll fail the test."

"The worst that could happen would be running over a line of blind school children."

"Yes, that would be a way to fail the test." I groaned. I pulled into the parking lot and he and I went to stand in line.

"I'll see you soon," he said to me as my tester came to meet me outside near the car. I climbed into the driver's side and put on my seatbelt.

"Okay, miss," the tester said getting down to business. He told me his restrictions of what he was allowed and not allowed to do during the test. I nodded and initialed the forms that stated he read me those things. "Can you please identify the windshield wipers?" I pointed to the handle and told him of their various speeds. I showed him the front and back defroster and demonstrated the head lights and the high beam. I saw him make checks on his clipboard and took a very audible gulp. "Shall we go?" I nervously nodded. He buckled up and I started up the car and took off the emergency brake.

I returned the car to the parking lot where Quil was waiting for me. I couldn't even remember what happened during the test. I tried not to notice him making endless marks on his clipboard while I did what he asked, though obviously I did notice.

"If you'll follow me, Claire?" I pressed the e-brake and turned off the car and followed him back inside. Quil was waiting for me as promised.

"How'd it go?" he asked me.

"I have no idea," I answered. "It kind of went by in a blur." We walked in and someone told me to stand in front of a hanging backdrop. Before I had time to realize what was happening, I saw a flash.

"This is your temporary license," the woman said handing me a folded half-sheet of paper with a crazy nasty picture of me in the corner. "Your license will be mailed to you in 14 days."

"I passed?" I asked surprised. She looked at me amused.

"No, we like to give licenses to people that failed the test." I would have been offended at her joke if I wasn't so excited about passing the test. I turned to Quil who looked at me excitedly.

"Quil, I passed!" I said running and jumping as I hugged him.

"Congratulations, Claire!"

My mom had been seeing a lot of my dad since the night he had come. She promised that she wouldn't bring him around the house until I was okay with it, so I felt just a little bit better about it. At least I wouldn't have to watch them working at getting back together. They were also going to counseling, but I preferred to know as little about that as possible.

"Claire," my mom called as she came into my room one night. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, Mom," I answered putting my book away. "What's up?" She came to sit beside me on my bed.

"Your father wants to see you." I froze and looked down. "I told him that's it's your decision if you want to see him or not, but I think you should give him a chance." I stared straight ahead at the wall. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. "If you stay away from him too long, Claire, he'll get the message to stay away from you. And I really think you'll regret that much later." I knew she was right. He wasn't a bad man; he made a mistake. A very very big and bad mistake. But I knew he loved me, and I missed him.

"Okay, Mom," I finally answered. "I'll see him." I turned to her and smiled. She smiled back and touched my cheek.

"You have grown up so much, Claire."

***sigh.. sorry this isn't one of the better chapters, but I want to show Claire growing up by age and maturity. So to make up for it, i will try to post the next one in the next few days once I polish it up. :D**


	11. Preparations

**I am so sorry this chapter took so long to get up.. I've been trying to update a little more often. I lost my thumb drive with all my stories on it which made me ultra sad. BUT! I located it today.. so I am back on schedule.**

**Also, MichaD commented that I needed to add more of the pack in.. which I guess I should do.. so I have added a few parts to integrate them more in there. lol.. I guess I should stop being such a lazy writer. Puhaha… Thx MichaD!**

**And eeyore-ft-tigger gave me a tip to look up the meaning of douche.. and it cracked me up! Hil-arious…! You guys are the reason I write!**

Preparations

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Quil asked me. I was so nervous of seeing my dad I could swear I was going to pee in my pants.

"Yeah," I said unconvincingly. "I'm fine. I'm good. It's gonna be.. you know... crazy awkward. But it's fine." I was pacing my room, rubbing my hands like I was putting on lotion and biting my finger like Cheetos. Quil had to physically get up and grab my hands in order for me to calm down.

"You can back down if you want. No one will think less of you." I nodded. I just had no idea what to think of him or what to say. Quil held me so close. The hug made me feel much better.

"Okay, I'm ready," I announced and he kept one strong arm around me and led me to his car.

My dad was looking at a menu when I walked up to him.

"Claire," he greeted me. I guess he didn't know whether he should give me a hug, so I quickly sat down so he wouldn't try. "How've you been?"

"Okay," I said, shrugging.

"I've missed you." I paused a bit.

"I've missed you, too." I said it as if it was his fault. The waitress came and I ordered chicken strips.

"Claire, you have no idea how sorry I am for putting you through what I have." I didn't say anything, and then the waitress came with my Coke. "I guess I've been far from a perfect father to you, huh?"

"Yes." We sat in a painful string of silence until our food came. I nibbled on a fry. "Why'd you do it?" I blurted. I wasn't sure I wanted the answer, but I didn't take back the question. He looked shocked, unprepared that I asked, and then sighed.

"I love your mother very much, Claire. I just…. most normal guys buy a sports car or dye their hair purple."

"A mid-life crisis," I said matter-of-factly. "All this for a mid-life crisis." A really long spout of awkwardness followed. This was not at all how I wanted things to go. I thought coming here was supposed to make things better, but I was definitely feeling worse. I started to play with the paper wrapping that the straw was in. "I miss you, Dad." I was talking to the dad I chose to remember, the one before this one.

"I will always be sorry I let you down, Claire."

Quil

I was seeing a lot less of Claire. Her father wanted to start picking her up from school; I didn't ask what he was doing about his job at the mini mall. Her parents agreed it was too soon for Claire for him to be hanging around the house. At least they finally decided to grow up and be responsible. I get that they're human and prone to poor judgment, but there's a thing or two that are generally accepted by people of all ages. I was at Sam's a lot more now. I hated always being bored.

"A storm is coming," Renesmee reported to the group as we sat around Sam's cramped living room. It was raining outside. "My aunt called from Alaska to let me know. It's going to be bad."

"How bad?" Sam asked. Renesmee gave a worried look to Jacob who nodded before touching Sam's face. His eyes widened.

"Should we tell the elders to alerts people to board up their windows and doors or evacuate?" Paul suggested.

"I'll tell my dad," Jacob volunteered.

"We should start at the senior center," Leah spoke up, "since they probably will have to stay and wait it out."

"I'll go," I volunteered. My grandfather had a few friends there that were really great to be around when he had passed.

"Take Seth with you. They like to tell him stories about when his father was a kid." Seth just smiled, but we knew it was true. He used to work there until our work made his schedule unreliable. We split up the different jobs we needed to do and headed out.

"Have you talked with Claire lately?" Seth asked as we nailed the windows with boards. We were getting splinters like hell, but they just popped back out as our skin healed.

"It's been a few days," I replied before setting the nail with one pound.

"You know she's staying?"

"Storm shouldn't be that bad," I reasoned. The inland was pretty much safe, but the houses down at the beach were under warning.

"I'd have thought you'd want to stay with her." I smiled.

"She's safe." I wanted to let her father be the man of the house, but it was hard leaving a human to be a protector. "What about your wife? She didn't have a problem you not being with her and your kids?"

"We talked about that. I think everyone's going to camp at Sam and Emily's for a few days when the weather really takes a turn, probably next week. We're all packing emergency kits and all that." I put up another board.

"They're not leaving?" Seth shook his head.

"We're sending the girls stay in Port Angeles with their grandparents, but April's staying. I would've insisted if I could win an argument with her." I laughed. I knew what that was like.

_"Hey, Quil."_ I breathed a sigh of joy. She called me. It was nice when she made some of the first moves too.

"How's it going, Claire?" I asked.

_"It's okay."_

"How are things with your dad?"

"It's better. It's not so weird anymore. He's still not living here, but he's been having dinner with us. I feel kinda bad though. He said he hasn't been working a lot in order to spend time with us."

"He just wants to fix what he broke," I said, grabbing stuff to make a sandwich."

"Anyway, he has to work tomorrow, and mom has a meeting at the bank. Do you want to help me make cupcakes?"

"Claire is baking? Are your smoke detecters working?"

"Ha ha. I can bake. And yes, my mom tested the smoke detecters a few weeks ago." I laughed.

"All right. Count me in." Everything was set in preparation for the storm, so I knew I'd be free.

"See you tomorrow!"

"Claire, you can't just pour the batter in the cups. You have to get rid of the air bubbles." She looked at me like I was speaking Chinese. I took the bowl from her and used a spoon to pop the bubbles against the side of the bowl. She jumped up onto the counter beside me, watching me. It was just like old times. She was a kid again, and not at the same time. "So things here look good." She shrugged.

"I guess. It's almost back to normal. Well not normal. Better, I guess. You know." I nodded and smiled. It looked like her father had already boarded up the windows and her mom emptied the cupboards. She stared down at her legs, kicking them so that they lightly hit the cupboards.

"So I hear you guys are waiting out the storm," I mentioned. She nodded.

"My parents both waited out the last one and said everything turned out fine, so this one should be okay too." There was a long pause as I kept mixing and popping. "I missed you though." I stopped mixing. The batter was pretty much smooth anyway.

"I missed you too," I said without looking up. I put the bowl down and leaned against the counter beside her and crossed my arms.

"What do you think is going to happen when I turn 18?" I looked at her. Even sitting on the counter, she wasn't much taller than me. I crossed my arms.

"I suspect that you're going to want to buy a lottery ticket, a pack of cigarettes, possibly check out a nudy bar.." She laughed and punched my shoulder, though it appeared to hurt her more than I even felt it. So she grabbed a handful of flour and threw it in my face. I managed to duck so that the brunt of the flour just flew in the air so she tried again. I got a handful of cocoa and threw it back at her and in a few seconds we were in an all out food fight.

We threw anything we could after a little bit. Claire grabbed an egg and chucked one at me, which again I dodged, and dropped another one. When she turned to grab something else, I saw her foot lose traction on the broken egg and caught her just in time before she fell and hit the floor. Incidentally, I went down with her, so she fell on me. We were in hysterics, and the more I tried to get the both of us up, the more I laughed. Finally the giggles in both of us subsided and I realized how close we were.

The mood changed into something else. She was a woman again, an incredibly beautiful one covered in egg and cocoa power. I held her shoulders back, but not back enough. The feelings came back, the want, the impatience to start my life with her.

"What the hell is going on here?!" _Oh, shit._ It was Claire's father. I practically threw Claire up and straightened myself out, but it was too late. The damage was done. "Do I need to repeat myself? Or is the fact that a grown man is taking advantage of my 17-year old daughter self-explanatory?"

"Dad, nothing happened. Will you stop spazzing?" Claire said. He was furious. I could hear his heart beating a thousand drums and could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears.

"I think I should go," I said, hoping putting distance between me and Claire would help calm him down.

"I think that's a good idea. A perfect long term plan." I looked at Claire and then to her father before stepping out of the house. I sat outside of the house for a few minutes, listening to Claire defend me to her father. _This is bad, very bad_, I thought to myself. I sadly started the car and drove off. I had a terrible gut feeling tomorrow was going to be worse.

**Uh oh! Do I hear foreshadowing? I have a few pennies.. may I have your thoughts?**


	12. The Storm

**Hey guys! How much do you love 3-day weekends? I find them lovely. Here is the next chapter!**

The Storm

Claire had told me how much her father was giving her a hard time about me, so I tried to stay away from Claire's home for the time being. The pack was working double time anyway helping the schools and families stormproof themselves. It was coming faster than we hoped, but Renesmee said we were making all the right choices; her aunt wasn't seeing any human deaths. The clouds were darkening and skies were getting angry. We saw the flashes of lightning, but the rain and thunder were unpredictable.

"Hi Quil," Kim greeted me cheerily when I got to Sam's. I smiled and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I was wondering when I was going to see you again. How's Claire?"

"She's good. Father wants my head on a stick," I replied.

"It's to be expected," she remarked jokingly sympathetic and patted my shoulder before bringing Jared a soda. I stood at the back, watching everyone with their loved ones. I didn't mind so much over the years seeing their lives together, but it was the hardest now, now that I was so close, yet so far.

"At least you have someone," Embry said as if reading my thoughts. If Embry was ever bothered he hadn't imprinted, he never thought about it. He was content how things were, never jealous of what we had. I admired him for that, how he seemed to accept that everything had its own perfect time.

"Yeah, at least I have her."

It had come. It rained so hard I was sure there'd be grooves in the road, and the wind howled and beat against the boarded windows and doors. Seth and I were at the senior center, watching out if anything happened. The electricity flickered, so the backup power was the main source of energy. Several people were gathered in the rec room, so Seth and I mainly stayed there, once in awhile getting up to check on the people in their rooms.

"You're Quil's boy, aren't you?" I turned around to see an thin old man in a wheelchair near where I stood. I sat down on a chair near him. "Old Quil used to talk about you all the time. It's nice that you've come by." I smiled and nodded. Besides my grandfather, I was never very good at talking with older folk. "He was so proud when you turned. He wanted it so much for himself." My expression changed.

"You know?" I asked him. He gave a strained laugh.

"It was commonplace for men of our age to know. Those were the days when things were more than just legend. My grandfather had the gene. Used to tell me stories all the time. Have you found your woman yet?" I laughed.

"Yes, Sir." He smiled at me.

"I take it she said yes?" I shook my head.

"She's not yet old enough to know." He gave me a look like he understood.

"Has happened before, will happen again. It's the hardest when the timing isn't to our own." I chatted with the old man for a bit. It was nice to talk to someone who knew my grandfather. I almost didn't hear the crash in the other room. Seth and I raced to the source and the thick branch of a tree running straight through the room. An old woman was feet away and screaming. Seth got her and took her to another room while I got to work moving the tree out. Seth came back and the both of us slid it out, slow enough so there wasn't any more damage to the house. The wind still beat its way into the room, so we boarded the window again and quarantined the room because of the broken glass and poorly sealed window. We burst out in a laugh of relief when we shut the door. I was glad no one was in the branches way. I went back to the rec room.

For some reason, I was reminded of Claire. Her room was much higher, and there was a tree right beside it that I used to climb all the time. She would be in her room, definitely by the window; that was where her bed was. That room could have been Claire's room, and she may not be so lucky.

My imagination was getting the better of me. I knew how thinly the wolves were spread out across the reservation, focusing on weak areas that were most vulnerable to the storm. The senior center was a lot more inland than Claire's home, and we just got speared by a tree.

"You should go." I turned around to see the old man sitting near me. "I've seen that look before when Quil worried about his wife."

"My grandfather wasn't a werewolf," I reminded him. He chuckled and leaned forward.

"You don't have to imprint to worry about someone you love." I looked up at Seth sitting on the other side of the room. He heard our conversation.

"I got things here. Go," he said. I smiled in gratitude and ran out the back door, stripping off my clothes in the dark and wet of the forest and shifting.

"Quil, is everything all right?" Colin asked. He was in the middle of pushing a tree off a house.

"Yeah, I just need to check on Claire," I answered.

"Leah shifted in about an hour ago. She passed by her house; weather's pretty bad there but the house was holding." I sped up.

"Thanks, Colin."

"Let me know if you need anything." I phased back and wrung out my wet, muddy clothes before throwing them on. The house looked beat, but the storm lessened. The ground was slightly flooded, but not enough for a mudslide, and no trees got to her house, though they were swaying beyond what I thought they should be able to. She was safe. I looked up at her window. The wind had bit off a few boards from her window. I stood there in the relief that she was okay. Before I could realize how long I stood there, Claire happened to peek out and see me.

She stood there, probably wondering what I was doing in this crazy weather, but she didn't move, only smiled. I smiled back. I was glad she wasn't freaking out; sometimes it was nice to be considered normal. But our moment didn't last. I knew her father was watching and could only guess what he thought was going on. I gave Claire one last smile and dissolved into the forest, making sure I was at least a mile away before stripping off my clothes.

**So, again, not my best chapter, so I will try to update with the next one soon. I also have a new Jared/Kim story called Noticed, so check that out as well!**


	13. One Storm Passes, Another Begins

**Hey guys! Thanks for all your encouraging comments and welcome all the newbies enjoying my story! **

One Storm Passes, Another Begins

The storm left behind an awful mess behind. The streets were flooded when the rains and wind subsided. But we considered our mission successful. We had no reports of deaths or even injuries due to the storm within the reservation. Guess we owed one to Nessie's family.

It took a couple of weeks before the reservation was somewhat back to normal. Sam and Jacob had spread the pack out to help fix houses and clear up other debris. I had to admit it felt good to be needed by the community again, even if it wasn't ripping apart vampires, but I missed Claire.

"Quil," Sam called. I was shifted, running through the forest with Jacob in search of a house in need. "I just had a talk with Emily. Leah needs to talk to you." The two packs could only hear each other when both leaders were phased in. I already saw Sam's thoughts, but it didn't register. I felt Leah change.

"Quil," she started, "Claire's dad has lost his mind. I was there helping out his house with Em. Somehow he got into this argument with Emily about you. He thinks you're a pedo." I stopped in my tracks. I went through Leah's memory of the argument. He wanted me away. He wanted to keep her from me. He saw all my gestures towards her as predatory tracks. "When the confusion dies down, he wants a restraining order." I started pacing; my thoughts jumbled up so much there'd be feedback if it was audible. I felt my breathing quicken and grow shallow. I couldn't say anything, think anything. I started to make noises, grunts and whimpers of a lost dog. The realization was slow, like the onslaught of a war. And then I couldn't contain it. I ran, sprinted, howling into the space above the trees, and crying to the wind. I felt the others come in. My pain was laid before them.

"Quil, he's just trying to be a good father," Sam defended.

"What the hell are you doing, Sam?" Leah barked. "Why are you defending him?"

"Because Quil may try to see her and that would only make things worse!" Sam said. "Quil's father is still her parent, and there are some wishes we must honor with the parents, especially those of the ones we imprinted on." I did want to see her, so badly. "Jacob, you can't let him see her when her father feels like this if he wants his relationship with her to be valid in society." Jacob hesitated. I felt his empathy for me. He was the closest to knowing what I was going through. He had waited for Renesmee and crossed lines that would have otherwise been strange for someone who didn't understand us.

"Quil, I will back you up in anything you decide," he said finally. "I won't command you to stay away from her. But Sam is right. All the work you put into keeping our secret from her would be for nothing if people believe that you want her because of her age. She'll start to believe it too." I stopped pacing and lay on the ground, resting my head on my paws. Jacob and Embry were in my view now, Leah and Seth not far away. Jacob and Embry came and sat on either side of me, not saying anything. I could see Leah and Seth now, but they kept their distance. My pack was my kin, both of them, but Jacob and Embry were always a step closer, and I needed them the most at this moment.

Claire

This was so stupid. How the hell did it get this point? My family and I sat outside the courtroom, waiting to be called in. My dad had a lawyer brought in and everything. I wanted to strangle him. Seriously? Was he going to do this? What was his deal? Was he trying to prove, that _he_ wasn't a disgusting creep? And I was so close to forgiving him. He had to know that I'd never get over this. I scowled with my arms crossed, refusing to even acknowledge him or the lawyer. I was even furious with my mom for letting things get this far. She had to know that the idea of Quil harming me physically or psychologically was totally laughable. I always knew her to be a pushover; it was why it was so hard for her to kick my dad out of the house. And I think that was only possible because I had seen it. Had I been kept out of that secret, she would have swept it under the rug and moved on.

My anger and frustration dissipated for a second when I saw my friend walking towards us in his suit, alongside Jacob and Embry. He didn't even have a lawyer with him. I smiled and almost stood up. Just to spite my dad, I would've run up to Quil and given him a big hug, but I figured this was not the time or the place.

But I realized a second too late that it wouldn't have mattered. He made absolutely no eye contact with me. The three of them stood near the door and chatted amongst themselves. None of them acknowledged me, and it broke my heart. I began to realize the magnitude of what was going on, and that a kid had no say in the matter. I felt childish and small and bit my lip to keep from crying.

The doors swung open and people filed out of the courtroom. The bailiff called our case number and I watched the three dark figures enter the room, hands patting each other's backs.

"I'm so sorry, Quil," I whispered. I let a tear fall from my eyes before I followed my mom into the courtroom, feeling the hatred for my father at that moment.

"So, we are here to discuss the matter of a request of a restraining order against Quil Ateara, ordering him to stay at least 500 meters from a minor," the judge summarized.

"Yes, Your honor," the lawyer said. "Claire's father has born witness to inappropriate proximities between the defendant and the minor." I saw Jacob cupping his hand over Embry's mouth who probably had an objection or two to that comment. So did I, but I knew saying anything was only going to make me seem like a younger child and make things worse.

"And Mr. Ateara," the judge addressed him. "Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Quil all too calmly sat up and cleared his throat.

"Despite what conclusions Claire's father has jumped to, I have not, nor ever intend to, disrespect Claire's boundaries. However, I am willing to take whatever conditions her parents see fit to protect her." He looked so sad, like he was giving something away that he worked so long to get. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him, even though he never even turned his head in my direction. The judge scribbled something down on his paper and pushed up his glasses on his face.

"Based on the testimonies I have heard, I feel it is in the best interest of the child to grant the plaintiff's restraining order. Mr. Ateara must stay a minimum of 500 feet from the minor or be subject to arrest and all punitive charges that are deemed appropriate. Case adjourned." The bang of the gavel was like the final etching of the judge's words. _I couldn't be around Quil._ I took another look at him, doing everything I could to keep from falling apart. _How could this be happening?_ Neither Quil nor his friends looked up at me. This wasn't how this was supposed to be. How could I live without Quil?

I felt my father's arm touch me to lead me out, but I didn't even want to breathe the same air as him. I whipped my arm away from him, glaring at him with my hatred and anger. He was always ruining it. He always had to be the one in the way. I watched my best friend walk out of the courtroom and saw him drive away from me. Without saying a word, I separated myself from my parents, heading over to the bus stop. I preferred public transportation to driving anyway.

Quil

I didn't even have the energy to phase anymore. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time. _What do I do now?_ I considered violating the restraining order, but the consequences seemed bad if Claire and I were going to be in the future. But how was that going to happen if I couldn't see her now? I thought about sending her a message or something, but I knew that she would also try to contact me, and that could also be bad. _It's only for a few months. When she's 18, the restraining order will be lifted._ It seemed like a lifetime, and I could only hope that she wouldn't move on without me.

I dove into my work to distract myself. I was getting a lot more business from satisfied clients, so that helped. Jacob's Rabbit finally sang its last song, so the three of us got together a lot to build him another one. No one talked about her.

***sigh.. the inevitable separation. How will it last? How long should it last? I technically already have it written up, but it's nice to know what people want. :D Review!**


	14. Restraint

**Omg… you guys are so great when it comes to reviewing!! And not just the numbers, but you guys have the most wonderful things to say! Thanks ****.5829.. your words are diamonds!**

**And because you all have been so supportive of this story, I am updating even earlier than planned. Enjoy!**

Restraint

Claire

I was fine. I was almost an adult. If a boy wants to cut me out of his life, I can dust my shoulders and move on. I was fine. So what if he never let me try to explain or even bother to say good bye. And I was totally okay that my best friend wasn't returning any of my calls or initiating any of his own. It really didn't hurt that much when his friends lied that he wasn't home when his car was in the driveway. I was fine. I was more than fine. I was great. I could start anew. This was probably a good thing. I needed to not obsess over an older boy that wasn't willing to fight for me. I told you, I was fine. Don't I seem fine?

I tried to act normal at school, and most of the time, I think I played it well. Only Mel and Adam could tell something was different, but they let me be, for the most part.

"So, how are you?" Adam asked me one day. I looked up from my locker and took a moment before answering.

"I'm okay," I said convincingly, deciding I didn't want to discuss my feelings.

"You really didn't deserve this, Claire. I mean, yeah, he's old and maybe creepy, but you didn't deserve this." I smiled at him. He really was a great guy. I knew he and Mel were talking and was insanely happy for them, but it wasn't something I wanted particular details of just yet. I closed my locker and headed to my bike, my new form of transportation to and from school. I barely made it on time to my new job if I didn't leave right after school.

Months dragged on and I got better. Not having Quil in my life made me drive myself into drill team, now that track was over, and my friends, so I kept myself distracted. The seniors had to go to a few assembles that were supposed to inspire us to go to college.

"The government has set aside a rather generous portion of funds for native American education," the school counselor presented. "Among the other options we have already presented to you, you may also consider studying abroad." My ears perked up at the last words. Abroad. As in not here. That sounded nice.

A few weeks later, I was signing my friends' yearbooks, who were officially dating, and was handed a diploma. I reflected a lot of my high school career. I sincerely loved the year I spent here, but regretted my last memories of it.

I woke up to a tapping against the window. I don't know why, but I rushed to it, expecting to see Quil trying to wake me to let him in. It turned out to be leaves hitting the window from the strong winds outside. I really thought I was losing it. I needed to get out of here. Being in La Push made me feel unwelcome, almost itchy.

I turned around and noticed a big blue card on my desk. Just by the way my name was written I knew it was from my dad. I hesitated before opening it. I still wasn't done hating him and not forgiving him. Then I gave a sigh and thought, _what the hell,_ and opened the card. I noticed the plane ticket first. That really threw me off base. It was to Italy. Why would my dad be getting me a plane ticket to Italy? I reached into the big envelope and pulled out a brochure; it was the one I had brought home from school from the assembly about studying abroad. I pulled out the card. In addition to being big, it also sang to me, which made me laugh, even though I didn't want to on account of my dad just yet.

_Happy Birthday, Claire,_

_I know I have been the most imperfect father, but I am trying. I just want you to know how much I love you and that everything I do for you is because I just want the best for you. I know you have been wanting to go to Italy to study abroad. After a long talk with your mother, we've decided that it'd be a great experience for you and give you a chance to see the world outside of our small town. The ticket is completely refundable, so you can decide whether or not to go, but I want you to know how much I love you and support you._

_Love,_

_Dad_

I closed the card and set it on the table, picking up the plane ticket. I had no idea what I wanted, but my dad was right. I needed to get out of La Push. Still clutching onto the ticket, I headed downstairs towards the smell of my mom's breakfast.

"Good morning," my mom said. I nodded and went to sit beside my dad, not really saying anything, and put the ticket down between us.

"I see you got my gift," he said. I nodded. I tried so hard to stay mad at him. I didn't want him to think he could buy himself out with me. But to be honest, I missed my dad, and he had gotten me exactly the thing I needed.

"You know, my birthday isn't for another 2 months," I said before taking a bit of a pancake.

"Yes, but the program starts next month and they need to know if you're going by next week." I picked up the ticket and studied it.

"Thanks, Dad. I really needed this." He just smiled and we continued eating our breakfast.

Quil

"Quil, you need to calm down. It's hurting my brain!" Leah complained. Our pack was phased. There was no way in hell I could control the change when I was like this.

"You can't hurt what's not there," Jacob commented, hoping the humor would distract me from mentally beating my chest and screaming my heart out. "I'm really sorry, Quil. We really had no idea she even intended to leave." I knew but didn't say anything.

"I was going to tell her everything. I had a plan. Just get everything out there once it was okay for me to be near her," I grunted. I pawed the ground where I stood and ran again. My brothers and sister didn't know exactly where I was, neither did I, but they wanted to stay close. I didn't mind. With or without them, it didn't matter. I had waited all this time for her to turn 18. I had done everything right. Now here, on her 18th birthday, she wasn't even in the same country. Why did she leave? Why couldn't she just wait a little longer for me?

"Do you want me to find out where she is?" Leah asked. I considered that, and call me narcissistic, but I had a feeling I had something to do with her leaving.

"No. Thanks though, Leah." I stopped at the edge of a cliff and looked up at the moon and howled. My friends figured it was time to leave me alone, so they phased out to leave me with just my own thoughts. I missed Claire and wanted to see her more than anything. I knew I had let her down. I could almost hear her heartbreaking when we were at court; it was the only sound I could hear over my own. But at least I understood why everything ended up like this. I knew why I had to be with her all the time. I understood how important it was for our relationship to stay how it was until she turned 18. I knew ignoring Claire and staying away from her was the only way I could abide by the restraining order. But she knew nothing. To her, I broke her heart and she had no effect on mine. I stopped howling and rested my head on my paws, looking down at the crashing waves beneath the cliff I was on. I couldn't help whimpering either. But our story wasn't over yet, and it was that thought that let me pick myself up and walk home.

**You guys are the best! :D**


	15. Away From Home

**Okay.. so I got a comment from MichaD that made me laugh out loud in the library at my school, so I felt she earned another chapter. So here it is. :D**

**MichaD, a true French speaker, not a Canadian like me, has corrected my apparently poor attempt at the language, so I have changed it. And since that is the only thing corrected, I am going to say everything else is perfect, because I said so. XP NEwayz… thanks for the heads up, my friend. :D ****--------------- I really like this face.. it makes me happy. :D**

Away from Home

Claire

If I had the money, I would make traveling a hobby. I loved Italy. I went to whatever museums the transportation systems allowed me and tried a new restaurant at least once a week. (That's right, if my father wants to buy my love, I'll sell for a high price.) My program was closely connected with a school in Paris, so we'd alternate between semesters between Italy and France.

"Tour Italia!" I heard someone shouting. I laughed. What a way for tourists to travel Italy: ride around in a bus as it passed you by. I wanted to experience it for myself. "Come see the famous underground world of Italia," the woman badgered. Underground world? I had to admit that sounded intriguing. It'd certainly be no typical bus tour. I had the rest of the day to myself, so I guessed I could spare the time.

"What time would we get back?" I asked the gorgeous woman. She was the kind of beautiful that made no sense. People just weren't built like that. She smiled at me.

"I'd expect not before we've eaten," she said with a creepy smile. At least dinner would be provided. I paid my ticket and stood just outside the booth for the start of the tour.

"Beautiful day," I heard someone say behind me, an American accent. I turned to see a sculpture of a guy about my age standing beside me reading an Italian newspaper.

"I guess so," I responded, not quite sure if he was talking to me.

"Are you on vacation?"

"No, I'm a foreign student actually."

"Strange way to see your host country," he said gesturing to the woman collecting admission for the tour. She eyed him evilly. Maybe he was the competition? I shrugged.

"It's something to do." I always needed something to do nowadays.

"Seems like you're trying to keep busy." I was. I didn't like being alone. And why should I be bored in a foreign country? "Italy was not meant to be seen, not shown. Wouldn't you agree?" I just nodded. But I wanted to be distracted. I couldn't stand the loneliness anymore. "Is there a reason you want to watch the world fly by?" Yes, because I missed Quil. The guy was pretty much talking to himself now, looking back down at his paper, so I amused him by nodding and listening. "You know, I had gone my whole life thinking love was for everyone else. Watched everyone around me find their loves, but I was content being on my own. But everything changed when I met my wife. She changed everything. It's worth waiting for the timing to be right." I eyed him up and down.

"How long could you have waited?" I asked with a laugh. "You can't be much older than me." He smiled.

"I'm older than I look." The tour lady started gathering the group for the tour. I looked at her. Suddenly I didn't want to go. I guess I was listening to this stranger more than I intended. He was right though, I wanted to see Italy my own way. "The tour isn't very good anyway," the guy said. I smiled.

"I guess I should get going," I said. He nodded.

"Stealing our fish, are we, Edward?" the tour guide accused in a calm and soothing voice as I walked away.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Huh. I guess they knew each other.

Quil

"She what?!" I was hysterical. I knew Jacob hadn't been phasing for a reason. But I saw everything now. Edward was already in Italy keeping Claire from the Volturi. "How could you keep that form me?"

"Because there was nothing you could have done. It would mess with her head if you showed up in Italy after all this time and make things worse for you. Plus, Alice can only see the result of the plan if Edward went. She can't see us. The point is she's safe." Safe. Safe without me. But safe.

"Why is Alice looking out for Claire anyway?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"She wasn't. She checks on the Volturi and recognized Claire in that room." I shuddered. What a terrible place to be human.

"Quil." I turned around to see Claire's mom. I usually tried to avoid her and her husband, so I must've been really out of it not to catch her scent in the ultra small market. I sheepishly nodded and waved. "It's been a long time." I nodded again.

"It's good to see you," I managed to say. "How.. is... uh... your family?"

"Claire says she's really enjoying Italy," she replied. I nodded.

"That's good to hear." There was an awkward pause I wanted to run away from, but I figured that'd seem rude.

"She writes all the time, but she seems sad. I thought sending her away would make things better for her. She was always so sad here as well." I didn't know what to say to that, and luckily she continued. "I'm sorry; I guess I worry about her a lot."

"I'm sure she's fine," I said. She smiled back and made to leave.

"I'm really sorry about the restraining order," she said quietly. I was really surprised she brought that up. "I know how much you meant to my Claire and I thought it was incredibly unnecessary. It was just, I was only just working things out with my husband and that really was something he felt strongly about."

"You don't have to explain yourself. You did what you felt was best." She seemed embarrassed, but I really didn't blame her, or Claire's father.

"I hope to run into you soon," she said as we parted, though I had no intention of letting that happen. I pushed my shopping cart past her and resisted the urge to sprint right out of there when she called me again. "Oh, Quil. I don't suppose you're anything of a handyman, are you?" She continued before I could answer. "My husband and I want to remodel the house, but we can't afford a big contractor." I really wanted to lie to her about that, but she already knew that I fixed and built things around my house and even parts of hers. "I'd really appreciate the help, Quil." I felt cornered, which is quite possibly what she was hoping to do, but why I wasn't so sure.

"I'll see what I can do." I waved good bye and quickly got out of there before she could request anything else from me. This was just great. My plan to stay away from Claire's family was failing very badly. And I would probably be working alongside her father, which I could only see ending badly. I was pretty sure that Claire's father knew nothing about Claire's asking me to help out. Oh yeah, I was certainly on the road to better days.

"What's he doing here?" Claire's father demanded.

"I could leave if you prefer," I said back.

"I prefer," he growled.

"Now boys," Claire's mom interrupted as if we were a couple of kids playing at school. "This is strictly business. Honey, we need him if we're ever going to get this house done. And Quil, please ignore my husband for being rude. We really do appreciate you being here and do wish to pay you for your troubles. So please make yourselves useful." It surprised me how much Claire's mom had taken her place as the alpha in the family. Maybe she saw the consequences of being a doormat.

"So you have any plans drawn out for the house?" I asked. If we were supposed to work together, I was going to have to be the bigger man about it.

"Yeah." He pulled out a rather impressive blueprint of the house and showed me the alterations he planned.

"This is a big project," I said. "It's gonna take at least a few months with just the two of us."

"We're in no rush." I nodded and got to work with him to plan out how this was going to go.

Claire

_Dear Quil,_

That took me 45 minutes to write. And 8 months before that.

I tapped the eraser of my pencil on the paper before sticking it in my mouth to chew the life out of it. What do I say? Would else could I say? _How've you been? Well, I should know how you've been because I should have been around you to see myself._ _Should I tell you about my program? No, because I was here because I needed to get away from La Push, to not be ignored anymore. Is that okay, Quil? Is this arrangement awesome for you? Why couldn't you call me, ya big loser. How's this letter working out for you?_

That probably wasn't a great opener. I was pretty sure this letter was going to take a long time to write.

Paris was paradise. I liked France more than I did Italy, which surprised me. It was exactly how you see it in movies and posters. I loved the culture and learning a new language. It was worlds away from our little reservation. The second semester was a lot more difficult, so I actually had to study. My mom was writing and calling a lot, which I appreciated. I still talked with Mel and Adam, who were still dating. It was nice to know I had people waiting for me when I got back.

"May I join you for coffee?" I looked up to see my French tutor and friend standing over me. I nodded and pointed to the spare chair in front of me. "'Oo are you writing to?"

"My parents," I lied.

"You miss zem a lot?"

"Oui."

"May I ask why you look so sad?"

"I didn't know that I looked sad." He gave me a crooked smile.

"You cannot 'ide your emotions in Paris." I sighed and sipped some coffee.

"I guess I'm just homesick," I reasoned, which was partially true, though it was a specific part of home that I missed.

"Maybe a petit ami you have at home?" I smiled like he was crazy. "Then why won't you go out with me?"

"Jean Pierre, we are each other's tutors."

"What's the worst that could 'appen? If it doesn't work, we switch partners. C'est une bonne idee, n'est-ce pas?"

" C'est une mauvaise idée, je pense." He let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Well, you can't blame a Frenchman for trying."

**I will admit, not the best chapter. More like a filler. I should have actually kept Claire in Italy.. iono why I changed it. But then I really liked her in Paris, so I kept her there. So, sorry if it doesn't make sense… but I liked it the way it was. And it's my story. :D I do like what comes later though.. so look out for that!!**


	16. Everything's a Go

**Okay, even though I have a midterm tomorrow, I thought you guys were deserving of this chapter. :D**

**Disclaimer: I am Stephenie Meyer**

Everything's a Go

Quil

It was pouring rain, the kind that once forced animals to walk two-by-two into a boat. But it felt good to be sawing and hammering away at Claire's place. Truthfully, I felt connected to her, knowing that my hands would create places that she would live in. It was sad at the same time changing her house so much; we had a lot of great memories here. But we were making it look so damn good. Her father and I were on business terms. He didn't call me son or anything, but it was a step above being called "jackass" under his breath. All in all, it was a good relationship.

"Quil Ateara, have you lost your mind?" Claire's mom shouted from the porch. "You are going to catch pneumonia in this rain if you don't put your shirt back on!"

"Don't worry about me, Emma. I promise I'll be fine."

"I doubt that'll be true, and that's for sure a falsehood for the old man beside you."

"I can take anything he can," Claire's father grumbled as he measured the 2x4s to begin saw them.

"You would think the weather would regulate some of men's work habits," Claire's mom harrumphed and went back inside while we continued to work away.

"Can I ask you something?" I froze in surprise that he was trying to initiate a conversation, and then continued sanding.

"Sure." I could tell the nature of the question wasn't good.

"What is my daughter to you?" I stopped sanding to think about that, and I couldn't come up with anything I could tell him.

"She's just a kid."

"You're damn right she's just a kid. But I've seen the way you look at her, so I'm going to ask you again. What is my daughter to you?" I paused and thought about it.

"I'm the guy that wants her happy," I replied. Her father seemed unsatisfied with my answer.

"That's my job." He revved up the saw and I turned my back to finish sanding. It had been a long time since I heard about her. I could feel myself getting to a place that was ready to accept that she had moved on. I'd take it just to see her again, just to have her here. She could be with whoever she wanted; I just wanted to see her. "Aah!!!" I whipped around to see Claire's father on the ground, clutching a bloody leg. The saw must've slipped from his hand and spun out, ripping his leg in half. The saw was spinning on the ground, luckily away from us, but still dangerously close to the tables we were working on. I quickly grabbed the saw and killed the engine. Claire's mom ran out and started screaming when she saw her husband bleeding.

"Call 911!" I commanded. I had to yell at her to get her to tear herself away and grabbed his leg just above the huge hole in his leg. I could see the bone. I reached over for some rope and tied it to replace what my hands were doing. Claire's dad was panicking. "Rick, you have to calm down so the blood doesn't flow so much." He stifled his screaming and thrashing to panting and grunting. Claire's mom came running out with towels. "Emma, don't look at his leg, just keep him calm." She knelt at his head and stroked his hair as she cried. I took the towels and pressed them onto the wound.

"It'll be okay. The ambulance is on its way," she managed to utter. We stayed like that for a few minutes until the ambulance came.

"Quil, can I talk to you?" Claire's father stopped me just as I was leaving with his wife after the nurse kicked us out so he could rest after his surgery. The injury was bad, and it took them hours to fix up, but he was out of the woods now. "Thank you again, for saving my leg. I don't know what would've happened if both of us freaked out."

"I've seen worse," I said, half-jokingly. I had seen vampires ripped into pieces and my brothers suffering war wounds that healed. But it was a different thing to see someone so fragile hurt so badly.

"About before," he sighed and sighed before continuing, "I've just had so much hope for my daughter. I wanted her to marry some rich kid and get out of this small town. She deserves the best, my girl, and I couldn't let some grown man take advantage of her."

"I'm sorry," I interrupted. "I don't understand why you're telling me this." He smirked.

"We pretend not to see how different you all are. That we don't notice how tall all of you are, but don't seem to get older, and the way you look at our women and never give up on the one. Even if you meet her when she's young. And I don't want Claire a part of your strange world." He paused for a moment. "But something tells me it's not my choice."

"I want the same things for her as you, and I will never do anything that would harm her." He nodded, but was definitely still upset.

"Just take care of her. You're a decent man, I'd hate to admit, and she's all grown up. I think Claire can improve you." He stretched out his hand and I shook it. I could hardly believe what just happened. Did Claire's father just give me his blessing to date his daughter? I left his room and took his wife home. When I got to my own house, I threw myself on my bed to think. So it seemed everything was a go for me and Claire; all I needed was Claire.

Claire

"Pourquoi es-tu triste?" I looked up to see Jean-Pierre take a seat beside me on the bench in the park.

"I'm not sad," I defended, though I knew I wasn't convincing anyone. "My dad got hurt, so he's in the hospital for a few days." That wasn't why I was sad. My mom said he was fine and gave me no reason to worry, and I had spoken to both of them on the phone earlier. I was sad because it was the first time my mom had mentioned Quil, that he took my dad to the hospital. I had no idea why he was hanging around my house (my mom had been vague about that), but it made me miss him more that he was near my home and I wasn't there. I didn't know why thinking about him made me so sad. This couldn't be healthy, right?

"Peut-etre you would not be so sad if you would go out with me," Jean-Pierre joked, leaning back with his hands behind his head. I laughed and elbowed his side.

"No, maybe not."

"I will miss you when you return 'ome, mon amie."

Quil

"Why are you thinking so hard about this?" Embry whined from atop my bed while I stared blankly at my limited selected in the closet.

"It's dinner, with her parents," I said without turning around. "I can't just wear what I always wear. Pants. Do I wear pants? I haven't worn pants in 10 years."

"The khaki shorts are fine," Renesmee said from the door. Jacob had been bringing her over a lot since Claire wasn't here."

"How about a tie?"

"No tie. The Polo shirt will work. And at least wear better sandals. Even shoes if you have them." I also hadn't worn shoes in a good long while. My Birkenstocks would have to do. I changed my shoes and headed out.

"Thanks, Ness."

"Anytime."

"Hey, I helped!" Embry exclaimed.

"Don't brag about that," Renesmee said. I grabbed my keys and headed off to Claire's parents' house.

Her house was a big bigger now that it was finished. There was a bit of a time crunch, though I didn't know why. I was only able to come when I wasn't working on my other web projects, so it took us awhile to finish, but it was officially done now. Claire's dad put up a ceremonial ribbon for his wife to cut. We took pictures. I got out of my car and rang the bell.

"Hey Quil, come on in," Claire's father said as he poked his head out. I put a hand in a pocket and walked in.

"Smells like Emma's cooking up a storm," I said closing the door behind me. Then I froze. I caught a scent that I knew better than anyone. _No way,_ I thought to myself. _Why didn't they tell me?_

"Dad, who's at the d-?" she asked unknowingly as she walked into the room. She was surprised. She wasn't expected me either. I stayed frozen while my insides melted.

"Claire."

**Yay! Everyone kept telling me that you guys wanted her home.. so hope this made you at least a little happy. Throw me some comments. They truly do make me want to update sooner. :D**


	17. Tearing Down Walls

**Hello all! Thank you thank you thank! I just noticed that I have broken the 100-comment mark! A first ever for me. You guys are so wonderful!**

**Seems like everyone was super happy that Claire has come back, so is the chapter of their reunion. Will it be okay? Will it be awkward? Hmm….**

**I'm on spring break.. so I'm using this time to tweak and finish my stories… among other things. NEwayz.. here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Tearing Down Walls

Quil

"Hi," I said.

"Hi," she replied. We stood awkwardly for a few minutes while her father looked at us like we were weird.

"Well.. I am going to walk away for no reason at all," he said, doing just that, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind.

"So, how've you been?" she asked me.

"W-, uhh… ch.. mm." _Awesome. What awesome words._ Then like an Invisalign commercial, she smiled.

"What are you kids doing at the door?" Claire's mom came in asking. "Dinner's ready." She motioned for me to walk first to the dining room, but I insisted she go first. Dinner would be nice and awkward at the same time. Couldn't wait.

"How do you like your room?" I asked Claire from her doorway, not yet over the threshold. Her mom had kicked us out of the kitchen so we couldn't help clean up.

"It's big," she said rearranging the thousands of cushions on her bed.

"So, how- how was Europe?" She shrugged, still not looking at me. "It was good. I'm glad I got the experience." I nodded. She crossed her arms and turned to face me. "Thanks for helping out my parents with the house. They've been wanting to remodel since I was born. They've been raving about how good you were since I got back." I smiled a bit and nodded. I didn't want to leave, but I could see that I wouldn't be getting anywhere today.

"When did you get back?"

"A few days ago." I nodded. I understood why she didn't call or I never heard about her. We were at that place where that was normal.

"Well, I guess I should be going."

"Yeah, okay." I lingered at the door before turning to leave. "Unless.." I quickly turned back. "Do you want to go for a walk?" I checked outside.

"Claire, it's pouring out there." She shrugged.

"Well, you know me." I nodded. She loved the rain. Half her closet was raincoats and she had every color and size of umbrella possible. She grabbed her coat and two umbrellas and handed me one. A hot pink one, of course.

"I'm game." She grabbed a rain coat and boots. We walked out and I gave a nod to her dad to let him know I'd take care of her. Hopefully, that was how he took it.

"So, this is kinda weird," she said. I laughed with a hand in my pocket.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"And even that's weird. The fact that this is weird." I nodded. She let out a heavy sigh. "When did it get so complicated? I mean, you were like my family, and then all of a sudden...." I nodded. We walked on a little more, listening to the sounds of the rain falling on the umbrella. "Do you think we could ever go back?"

"Would that be better?" She was quiet. I walked a little ahead of her before I realized that she had stopped walking. She gazed out at nothing at first, and then her eyes wandered to meet mine.

"I can't do this if things stay the same. It's so awkward. You were the only one who made everything better, you know? It's like.. we don't know how to be around each other." I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. "You left me." I was surprised. Didn't she know how much that tore me apart? That I made Jacob and Embry swear they would not let me violate the restraining order? That they had to physically hold me down when I thought I would tear out of my chest if I didn't go to Europe myself? "I know you had to, and it was probably the right move, but I felt so alone when you were gone. I didn't know it was possible for you to make me feel like that." I had failed. The very things I was supposed to protect her from were keeping us apart. What could I have done differently? How did we get here? All I knew was that it was about time we got out.

"I'm sorry." It was all I could say. She crossed her arms and looked down.

"I really missed you." I sighed.

"I missed you, too, Claire." She sloshed the mud and wet grass with her red rain boots.

"I won't stay if I have to do it again. Being ignored, treated like a child," she said shaking her head. I walked up to her so that I loomed over her. She seemed scared, untrusting. She must have really built up some walls, but I hoped she'd be willing to take it down for me. I needed her, and needed her to need me.

"I won't. I promise. Just please don't go. I'll do whatever it takes for you to trust me again." She walked on past me, which would've concerned me if I didn't catch her stifle a smile and hear the faint beat of her heart quicken; I was affecting her.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Anything."

"That's a lot of power."

"It is. Use it responsibly." I saw her start to shiver. The rain wasn't letting up. I put my arm around her and pulled her close to lead her back home. "Welcome home, Claire."

"Hi, Claire, I'm Renesmee," the gorgeous model-like woman said when she answered Quil's door.

"I bet you are," I said.

"I'm with Jacob." I just nodded suddenly feeling extremely plain as she let me in.

"Way to go Jacob," I said. He was leaning over the counter and raised his Coke to me like a solo cheers. "Is Quil around?"

"Quil, your mate is here," Renesmee said as if he was standing right beside her. Jacob tensed and Renesmee smiled and winked at him, which confused me.

"Uh, I don't think he heard you," I said, choosing to ignore whatever she called me. _Mate? Was she Australian?_

"Oh, he heard." Quil's door swung open.

"Ness, could you please stay out of it?" She turned to give me a wink and walked off. I noticed Quil maddogging her.

"Give me a few minutes, Claire." He went back inside, leaving me alone with Jacob and Renesmee who had settled on the couch. I decided to give them their space and went to wait for him outside. It wasn't raining, but it was grey and damp. A lot of people might feel depressed living in a place like this, but I loved the weather. I liked Quil's house, but it looked different to me now, even though it didn't physically change.

Quil

I knew she was waiting outside. I loved how she was waiting for me now when it used to be the other way around. I grabbed some Gatorade and a beer for myself from the refrigerator.

"That's gonna give you a pot belly," Renesmee said, pointing to the drink in my hands as she approached me on the way to the kitchen.

"You wish," I retorted. I passed her to walk out, but she stopped me.

"She's not as young as you think." I was thrown off by her comment and she carried on like she never said anything. I just nodded and headed out, handing Claire the Gatorade.

"When did you start drinking beer?" she asked.

"You're 18. I can drink my beer around you now," I said, taking a seat beside her on the other side on the bench. She smiled.

"So what else can you do around me now that I'm 18?" I thought about it.

"I can say anything I want."

"Yeah? And what would you like to say to me?" I took my time in answering. _Not yet. It's not the time_.

"You'll know when the time comes." She took a long drink from her bottle, so I did the same. It was a comfortable silence. We started out into the natural view. I never got tired of it, even though it was just the sight of hundreds of thick dark trees, but there was something so strong and foreboding about them. I wondered how Claire felt sitting beside me like this. Her heart was slow and steady. Well, I just had to fix that. I held the beer with my left hand and scooted myself so that I was less than a foot away from her on the bench, casually grasped the edge of the bench beside me between us. Then I slowly slid my hand so that it barely touched hers, never looking away from the view.

I smiled at the result. It was fun to know that she had such a reaction to my touch. I missed her and felt myself delighting in our small contact.

"How are your parents?" I asked, just making small talk.

"They're good. My dad took my mom on a date today in Seattle."

"Wow, fancy date." She laughed.

"They're coming back tomorrow."

"Ooh.. party at Claire's!" She giggled.

"Actually, I wanted to know if you wanted to come over. I kinda wanted to try some French cooking I learned."

"Cook? Damn, you are getting old." She punched me lightly on the shoulder with her right hand, leaving her left still touching mine.

Claire

I let Quil work on a project that he had gotten behind on, which gave me time to go grocery shopping. Tonight's menu: French onion soup, spinach and mushroom quiche, and chocolate mousse for dessert. I cleaned the house while the quiche was baking, and then showered and changed. I was so excited and nervous. I set the table with my mom's good china and did my make up while the food cooled and chilled. I wanted to set some kind of ambiance, so I lit an unscented candle, but kept the lights on so it wouldn't scare Quil off.

"Claire?" I heard Quil come in, so I gave the room a once over to make sure everything was okay.

"Hi Quil." He was holding a bouquet of gerbera daisies. "Aww, you didn't have to bring anything."

"They reminded me of you."

"Well, they're beautiful, so thank you," I said taking them and found a vase to display them on the table.

"Smells good, Claire. When did you learn how to cook?"

"In Paris. A friend of mind taught me." I served our dishes and took a seat opposite him at the table. I held my breath as he took a bite. Maybe I should've done a test to see if it was good or not.

"It's good," he said. "Hope you made enough for seconds." I laughed.

"I got you covered, Ateara." I poured some sparkling cider. It was my favorite for fancy dinners.

"Shall we toast?" he suggested. I raised my glass.

"To the future," I toasted.

"The future."

**I'm not actually sure if French onion soup was French or if it's just a thing like French toast, but I recently tried making French onion soup and it was sooooo good. And I don't normally like French onion soup. So that is why Claire is making it. And I love quiche and chocolate mousse. I made chocolate mousse once; it was a fail. **


	18. Change Everything

**I've been super sick this past week. What a way to end spring break.**

Change Everything

Quil

It was raining, which meant Claire wanted to listen the rain outside. She was into stuff like that now, I learned. She threw on a sweater and we sat on the padded bench on her new patio that her father and I built with our bare hands. She sat on one end and I on the other, drinking hot chocolate. I one-shotted it. It burned.

"Did you ever go to prom?" she asked.

"Nope," I said matter-of-factly.

"Why now?"

"I hung out with someone else that night." She looked disappointed, which amused me.

"Do you ever regret not going?"

"Not once." I wondered where this was coming from, and then figured it out. "You never went to prom." She just smiled and took a sip of hot chocolate.

"It doesn't really matter; even if I went, it wouldn't have been with the person I wanted to go with." I played with my empty mug, unable to respond. This was almost funny. Age wasn't a thing anymore. We had always been many years apart, and she was an adult. I laughed at how childish I was being, trying to put something between us because I wasn't ready. "Hey, can I ask you something?" she asked lightly.

"Shoot."

"You know when you said you could say whatever you want to me now that I'm 18? Have you ever wanted to say something but couldn't because I was too young? Like I've never heard you use certain four-letter words." I laughed.

"Yeah, there has been a time or two."

"Like.."

"Like.. you are a phenomenally bad driver." She covered her face and laughed. "The reason we used to take out your cousins to the Space Needle was because Sam and Emily wanted to have sex on their anniversary." Another cringe. I took a deep breath. _ Don't think. Don't think_. "I'm in love with you." She seemed surprised, though she shouldn't have been. How could she not know? Saying it was the most natural thing in the world, but I worried how she might take it. Still, I hid behind a brave face, pretending I didn't just change everything between us.

Claire

_Did I really hear that? Did that really happen?_ He just looked at me like he told me my car was in the shop. I couldn't read him at all. He's told me that before. _Okay, so let's focus on that_. _How do I feel about that? Well, I know how I feel about that. How should I react? Should I say it back?_ Within microseconds all of these questions in this order collided in my head. I smiled at Quil, like he found a cure for my disease.

"I've loved you my whole life, too," I managed to utter. He just smiled and nodded.

"I know." I enjoyed our exchange of words before coming back to reality. "So what do we do now?"

"You've asked me this before," he reminded me. I smiled.

"You said 'we wait.'" He nodded. "What are we waiting for?"

"I guess we've run out of things to wait for."

"So now we have no excuse," I said. This was it. We said the words. My dreams were going to happen.

"I guess we're a couple now."

"Where did you learn how to do this?" I asked Quil from over his shoulder. It had been a few days since Quil and I started going out and today we were hanging out in his room. Somehow from absolutely nothing, he was using shapes to make some kind of design of buildings on his computer. It was really cool to see it form in front of my eyes.

"Most of it I taught myself. I got some books and took online tutorials for the computer programming part." I leaned forward to get a better look.

"Well, I'm gonna go stretch my legs," I announced, stretching my arms up.

"Okay. Stay near the house; I'll join you in a few minutes. I got up and walked out the front door and made my way behind it.

Staying close wasn't really a hard per se; Quil's property was just a house and a lot of land behind it, which Quil happened to own. It was impossible to live here and not like hiking; nature always had a way of making you fall in love with it. It smelled fresh and damp and the bitter cold stung at your face, but it didn't deter me. I walked around to the edge of the forest, and then noticed something odd on the ground.

It was a paw print, but huge, like if Godzilla was a huge dog. I figured someone must've made it for fun, probably Embry, but then I saw another one. Then lots, like Dogzilla was all over the place. It seemed too real to be fake, and yet too outrageous to be real. I stared at the mess of paw prints for awhile. It couldn't have been made by a human because there were no human footprints in the area and the pattern of them didn't suggest someone was covering their own tracks. I heard Quil slam the door behind him as he ran out to meet me.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" I asked him jokingly. I wasn't sure how I expected him to respond, but he seemed serious, scratching the back of his head, like he actually did have something he wanted to tell me. "Quil? Are you okay?" He looked down at me intensely and gave me a crooked smile.

"Yeah, of course I'm okay, Claire. I just... thought I had more time to tell you this, but I guess.. I don't." He was nervous, fidgety. He kept doing stuff with his hands like he didn't know what to do with them. I would've found him entertaining if I wasn't so curious what it was he wanted to tell me. I said nothing to let him have whatever time he needed. It seemed big. "Have you learned the old legends of our people?" I bit my lip and shook my head. I all of a sudden was very embarrassed that I knew so little about our people's history. Because of funding, schools weren't required to teach about our people's history anymore and being only half Quileute, I didn't really participate in the community's traditions. Quil just smiled. "They say that we came from wolves; that's why we have so many laws and traditions revolving around them." I nodded. I knew the general gist, but not the specific stories. "The thing about those legends is that they're still going on." I cocked my head to the side. What did that mean?

He stepped a little away from me. "I'm just going to warn you, Claire, that once you see this, I will never be the same person to you again. So I completely understand whatever you do next, so if it's the last time you want to speak to me, I just want you to know how much you have meant to me and I never meant to keep any secrets from you. I just wanted to keep you safe. And if you could just tell Jacob I need some pants." With that, he started taking off his shirt.

Stripping. He was stripping. Was he looking for my reaction for him getting naked in front of me? What an incredibly weird thing to do. His shirt fell to the floor and I readied myself to avert my eyes if his pants were next. He gave me a look, hurt and sorrowful, and then looked away.

Just then, he bent low and changed. Not his clothes. Like his skin grew clothes. He changed his body. It happened so fast, and yet I caught ever detail. The shape of his back curved, not the way a human's does. His body shred the fabric of his pants and elongated. His jaw grew fangs and enlarged until it became a muzzle and his skin dissolved into hair. No... fur. He was covered in a dark brown coat of fur. He was a wolf. An obscenely big one. He became a wolf; the wolf whose paw prints I was examining belonged to. I stood gaping at the animal before me. Could this be happening? Was he pulling some kind of illusion? Again, my logic wouldn't accept that. He never played tricks on me, not even when the others did. He always gave it away for them. He said that I would never want to speak to him. This was real. I didn't let logic try to figure out what was going on. My body reacted first. I ever so slowly stepped towards him, my eyes entranced in my disbelief and need to transfer the situation from imagination to reality. Quil looked back at me, his body lowered and his tail between his legs. I had seen dogs do this when they were getting yelled at by their owners. He kept his head low and his mouth closed. When I got close enough, I touched his body. I barely ran my fingers through his thick dark fur before petting him like I would a real dog, or Snuffalufugus. So, he was a real wolf. I slowly made my way to his head. I knew he was trying hard not to make any sudden moves, his eyes following me as I walked around him. I took my time getting used to seeing him before I tried to touch him. I touched his cheek, stroking the fur. He was so soft. I almost forgot who he was and that this was a really weird situation. He whimpered. It took me a few moments to find my voice and figure out how to turn it back on.

"This is just so unreal."

I must've stared at him for hours. Now both of my hands were running over his muzzle and sweeping the fur at the sides of his face. Even as a wolf, he was handsome.

So this was how he did it. How he always seemed a little more something than anyone else. None of it was making sense, and I couldn't see how it ever could, so just for now, I let this be my reality.

"I always knew you were magic, Quil."

Quil

This girl was at least a few degrees of crazy. I saw how things turned out when Jacob told Bella; she had taken the secret pretty well too, but then again she was dating a vampire. Probably not too many things could phase a girl like that. But Claire was living the life of normal, at least that's what I had worked so hard for her to have. Yet here she was, stroking my face in the form I had never shown her before. She made me so happy, and her reaction made me happy. I leaned into her hand; I loved having her so close to me. Our proximities didn't seem so close when I was a wolf. I wanted to hold her and ask her what she was thinking. I started whining. That happened whenever I tried to talk when I was in wolf form.

"What's wrong, Quil?" Claire asked slightly alarmed. _Great, she thinks something's wrong._ I started wagging my tail and yelping. "You... want to play?" Okay, that was too much like what a dog would do. I looked back at the house and then back at her. I looked at the ground and picked up a scrap piece of what used to be my pants. "Oh, you need clothes." I yelped again and wagged my tail, panting like I was happy she got it right. It must be so hard for regular animals to communicate with humans. She ran in and in a few minutes came out with a pair of shorts. She held it up for me and I carefully took it from her so that I didn't scare her by taking it too close to her hand or showing my teeth. I ran deep enough into the forest so I was sure she couldn't see me and ran back out. She stood in the same spot. It was an odd sight I saw when I came out. The child in her was gone. It was a woman now standing there waiting for me.

"Hi," I said nervously.

"Hi," she replied.

"You're still here." She nodded.

"I'm still here."

"Did I scare you at all?" I was still standing near the edge of the forest, not wanting to jump ahead of myself and assume that she indeed was fine with everything. I was hoping to learn from Sam's experience and some of my other brothers who learned the hard way. She didn't smile, but shook her head.

"No, you could never scare me, Quil." I took a few steps closer until I was about 4 long strides from her.

"You should be scared." I saw a smile creep up on her face.

"Maybe I'm magic too."

"You have no idea." I took one of her hands and led her to the house. "Come on, I'm sure the guys are really excited now that you know."

"Jacob and Embry know?"

"Yeah, they're kinda wolves too. And by kinda, I mean they've been wolves longer than me. And better at it, too."

"A better wolf than you. I don't think that's a bad thing," she said shaking her head.

Everyone was acting like everything was normal when we got in. Jacob and Renesmee were watching a show on the couch and Embry was watching from the kitchen counter. Claire looked like she wanted to say something, but I put my finger to my lips to stop her.

"Wait for it," I whispered. A few seconds later, Embry started laughing hysterically which made Nessie giggle and Jacob smile.

"So you guys are all giant wolves?" Claire asked.

"Kinda makes you want to reconsider your choice of man, doesn't it, Claire?" Embry taunted. She threw a face at him and he tossed her a bag of pretzels, which I caught and handed to her. She shrugged.

"I kinda like it. It's kinda cool." Claire took a seat on the big chair and I sat on the arm while Embry took a seat on the couch next to Jacob.

"Cool is the word," Embry replied.

"So is there an alpha? Like a real wolf pack?" she asked. I pointed to Jacob.

"Only by birth," Jacob said holding up a finger. "Sam is the alpha by right."

"And your Aunt Leah is his beta," Embry chimed in.

"Aunt Leah is a wolf too? And Uncle Sam? What about Aunt Emily?"

"No, she's just his mate. He imprinted on her."

"Imprinted?" I shook my head at Embry and he got the hint to shut up. I put my hand on Claire's shoulder.

"Another day, I promise," I said quietly. She nodded.

"So, are you a wolf too, Renesmee?" she asked. Always so curious, but Nessie just smiled and looked up at me.

"Also another day."

**Yay.. a very typical scene. Claire and Quil get together, Claire finds out about him being a wolf. Nice, eh? Stay tuned. Some of you guessed that there is a major conflict coming up.. and u are right. BUT… let's let them be happy for a little bit, yes?**


	19. Heartbeat

**So sorry for the long wait! I was neglecting one of my other stories for a long time, and then got some inspiration, so I wanted to update that one. I had this chapter written out, but was unhappy with it. I think it's pretty good now, so hopefully you will too. Enjoy!**

Heartbeat

Claire

I had to be proud of myself for taking in Quil's secret so well. I could see how easy it'd be to run and hide from it, but I was fascinated by his world. Somehow, it made things make sense. He was always so fast and he never got sick or hurt. I had grown up with him, so he and everyone else always seemed so big, but even then he was just so big. He had to be magic. A part of me was jealous of the people in his life who had always known this other side of him, but I understood why he hid it from me, and I loved that he cared so much what I thought about it. That made me want to know him more. He told me everything: how he found out, what it was like running with a pack of brothers and having to grow up with them without actually growing up.

"Quil, what did Embry mean by 'imprinted'?" I had wondered about it since the day Quil told me about himself and hoped that enough time went by for him to answer this question.

"It's just a word we use to describe what it's like when we find our mate." I deadpanned him.

"That's it? Come on, Quil, you made me wait four days to tell me that? I thought it was gonna be some kind of big deal." He smiled.

"It is a big deal. Have you ever seen those movies, where men fall in love with women so intensely that you could swear their souls merged into one person? They'll say all the right words and make the right gestures to make the other feel like they're the only person who could know what love is." I nodded. He leaned closer to me from where he sat on my bed. "That is nothing compared to what it's like when we imprint." I just stared into his eyes, absorbing the description he gave me. "We were made for our other half and to become everything she needs and wants. When we see her for the first time, humans are just incapable of knowing what it's like to love her that way."

"What about her? What does she feel?" I asked. His words were so intense and I was enamored by his passion, like he spoke of experience.

"I'd like to know myself," he replied. I was puzzled and confused. I was curious about something else, but afraid of the answer.

"Did you ever imprint?" I asked.

"I imprinted a long time ago." Of course he did. It would've been just too perfect to expect that he'd imprint on me.

"What happened to her?" I asked, slightly dejected.

"She grew up." I thought about how that made any sense. I kept picturing this woman in my head that Quil had fallen in love with, but I had never known him to be with any girl. And if she had grown up, why would she leave Quil? That didn't seem like a reason. And then I realized that he never said the woman left him; he only said she had grown up. I leaned back and my lips started to curl upwards.

"Please tell me it's me," I whispered, closing my eyes. He didn't say anything and I opened my eyes with awestruck fear. Then he cracked open a smile.

"It's you, Claire. I imprinted on you."

"Where am I going that I would need to dress up so fancy?" I asked Renesmee who was dancing around me, curling my hair and doing my makeup like a pristine china doll.

"My instructions were to make sure you looked no less than gorgeous and while you are beautiful enough to give me little to do, I never do anything imperfectly," she said, giving me a wink.

By the time she was done putting every kind of color on my face, the sun was setting.

"Okay, you're perfect," she said. I looked at the mirror. I admitted she did a good job turning me into something beautiful, but I still felt plain next to her. "Embry's waiting for you." Why was Embry waiting for me? I went out to see him standing by an older model of a silver Volvo.

"Wow, where'd you get the car?" I asked. He looked up at Renesmee.

"Renesmee's dad gave it to Jacob. But we made some adjustments." He held my door open and I hopped in the back while drove me like a celebrity being driven around by a chauffeur.

"Can I ask where we're going?" I spoke up.

"I am taking you to your date with Quil."

"I have a date with Quil?" My, he was clever.

We turned the corner when my eyes caught the Christmas lights wrapped around tree with blue and silver balloons. I gasped at the extreme of Quil's plans. Embry parked and opened my door. We were at the beach, which explained why Renesmee only gave me simple black toe thong sandals to go with the stunning dress. In the distance near the waves, I saw Quil standing with a hand in his pocket of his tux. Embry offered his arm and I took it as we walked over to him. He had a boom box playing Stevie Wonder in the background beside a roaring fire.

"Welcome to Prom," he said. I just stood there, smiling, speechless.

"Okay kids, smile for the birdie," Embry said, pushing me over to Quil. Quil put an arm around me and smiled. Embry looked at the picture and laughed. "You guys look so awkward," he said as he walked back to his car.

Quil held out an orchid corsage and I slipped my wrist into the band. He took my hand and pulled me close so that we were dancing. Amazing, he was amazing.

"So, this is nice," I said as we swayed to Michael Buble.

"I didn't want you to miss out on anything," he answered.

"I think it's funny how you think being with any part of you would make me miss anything. You do have other aspects of you that make up for it." He smiled and nodded. "Do you like it? Turning into a wolf every once in awhile?" He shrugged.

"It's cool sometimes. The speed we get when we run or that we never get cold; it's useful." He sighed. "But in the end there's always a secret." It must have been so hard, having to be so responsible all the time for such a long time. I did at least appreciate when I could be spoiled and selfish when I needed to be. "What do you think about it?"

"I think it makes you who you are, so by default, I love this part of you too." He smiled a warm smile and I hoped he understood that I really was okay with it and wasn't going anywhere. He stroked my cheek, never wavering that smile.

"I've waited almost 16 years for you. I still can't believe you're here." I smiled.

"Sixteen years is a long time." He shook his head.

"It's not that long. I smiled back at him as we swayed to the soft lulling music behind us.

"Quil," I breathed.

"Yes, Claire?" I just stared at his gorgeous face, lost in the moment. I wanted to ask him.. but I couldn't find the words. Somehow he seemed to know what I wanted to ask. He slowly brought his face to mine. Our lips were closed, but I felt the electricity shooting up and down my veins and stood on my tiptoes to press into him harder. My first kiss, not including the one I stole from him while he was sleeping. My heart raced so fast I stopped hearing it, only feeling the soft hot lips pressed against mine. I don't know how long it was before Quil pulled away, but it was enough to make me stagger. He swept the side of my face with the side of his hand, rubbing his thumb on my cheek. I couldn't help but smile, delighting myself in my first kiss.

"Your heart is beating really fast," he said as if I didn't know.

"You can feel that?"

"I can hear it."

"Hey, that's not fair if you can hear how I feel and I'm the only one who doesn't know anything." He cracked a smile.

"You're right. Here." He put my hand on his own heart. It was beating normally, not nearly as fast as mine was. I was disappointed to know how little effect I actually had on him, and I guessed my face gave it away. "It takes a lot, and I mean a lot, to raise my heartbeat, but I don't ever want you to doubt how I feel right now."

"And how do you feel?"

"Like I'm in a dream, and I'm going to wake up any second right before Ashton Kutcher tells me I'm punk'd."

"Are you nervous?"

"Yes."

"Now why would a big bad wolf be nervous with little ol' me," I teased.

"You are the only thing that could destroy me."

"I'll never do that," I promised.

"Then I guess I'll live forever."

Quil

"Renesmee is something, isn't she? Non-humanish." I almost choked on the chicken I was eating. _Why was this girl so intuitive?_ I coughed up a bone and cleared my throat.

"Wh- why- what makes you think that?" I asked innocently.

"Because you and everyone acted so funny when I asked about her. She's obviously not a wolf because you would've told me that. And she never comes to any get togethers, so she must either be something you don't want other people to know. She doesn't seem the type to avoid someone for no reason."

"Uh.. okay.. Renesmee is.." I stalled. She stared at me patiently, obviously amused by my evasiveness. "Renesmee is…. Nessie… yeah."

"I love it when you're to the point." I chuckled. Fine.. here I go..

"She's half human." Claire smiled at my evasiveness.

"Only half? And the other half?"

"A vmpr," I mumbled.

"What?"

"Vampire," I said finally, loud and bold. "She's a vampire. Dad is a vampire, mom was human, now turned vampire." She took a minute to process that.

"So in your world, men change into wolves, _vampires_ exist and have babies with humans, and all of these are regularly in your home."

"Yes." She sat silent for awhile, so I waited for her to control the conversation.

"Huh.. interesting." I stared at her for a little bit. She was hard to read sometimes. "So… what does she eat?" Claire asked. It was a fair question.

"Animals, only animals. We eat animals. Nothing taboo about that. And food, like the grains and veggies." She seemed to relax a little and tried to smile. I moved to sit beside her. "Don't worry about her. Nessie is really understanding when it comes to humans knowing about her." She sighed and was thoughtful for a few moments. "You all right?" she nodded unconvincingly. "You know you can't lie to me, right? I hear your heart." She sulked.

"Unfair," she whine and covered her face with her hands. "That's bad of me, right? I should be all accepting of her, especially if she's with Jacob. And you trust her, and she's super nice.." I grabbed her hands to keep her guilt was spilling out.

"Hey, hey. It's a lot for you to take. It's fine. You'll accept her when you do."

"And if I don't." I shrugged.

"Then you don't." She felt so bad; I could see it. She wasn't a bad person; it wasn't fair to require her to like someone who could easily kill and eat her. We continued eating in silence. I stared at her while she ate. She tried to act normal, but I could see the discomfort. I had remind myself that she was still young. She just needed time. I just hoped that Jacob would understand when he undoubtedly would see this conversation the next time we phased.

**Aah.. can you see the conflict unraveling? You think you do.. but I got some major plans for Quil and Claire, so stay tuned. :D**


	20. 30YearOld Virgin

**I am SOOOOO sorry I haven't updated in the longest time! I have later chapters written up, but I was really unhappy with this one for awhile. I think I filled in all the gaps, hopefully, so would like to get this out to you asap. Thanks so much for staying by me and hopefully you haven't forgotten what the story is about. (That happens to me a lot when I'm reading a story that someone hasn't' updated in awhile… -___- )**

**On other note, I really hate to do it, but I am going to have to up my rating to T. I wanted this story to be totally pure and innocent since that's how I picture Quil and Claire's relationship. But then I got some inspiration that just seems to work better with it. So if there's anyone who won't be able to read it if the rating goes up too much, let me know and maybe I can play with the wording.. or something. I really don't want to lose any readers though, so please do speak up. Maybe I can do two versions or something. Anyways… here is the chapter!**

Thirty-year-old Virgin

Claire

"He's avoiding me," I said as I Quil drove us home from the movies.

"He is not avoiding you," he defended. I gave him my are-you-kidding face. "He's just.. really busy." I rolled my eyes and looked down at my hands. Even Jacob tried to convince me that he was fine, but I knew he knew I knew about Renesmee and how uncomfortable I was with it. How many times did he have to have this conversation with his brothers about the love of his life? And he was supposed to just accept that they weren't comfortable with having a vampire so close by. I felt so guilty and wanted nothing more than to take it back, but even when I tried to convince myself I was fine with it, a part of me doubted her. I mean blood was blood, right? Biting and killing an animal can't really be too far than a person. I thought I was getting queasy thinking about everyone and started coughing.

"You okay?" Quil asked. I rubbed my chest.

"Yeah, I've just been feeling a little low lately," I admitted. "I'm probably coming down with something." He laughed.

"Must suck being human." I punched him in the arm.

"You're human too, you know. I don't care that you walk around as a wolf once in awhile." He looked up at me from the side as he chewed.

"If you don't feel better within the week, we're going to the hospital."

"It's fine. I should actually make my dad go to the doctor's, so I'll just go with him for a checkup. I'm under his insurance anyway. And stop changing the subject. What should I do about Jacob?"

"What can you do?" he asked casually.

"Maybe if you make her seem more human. What are her hobbies?" He took a moment

"I don't know."

"What kind of music does she like?"

"Not sure."

"What kinds of goals does she have?"

"I don't like this game." I let my head fall. Why was I being so difficult? Quil reached up and ruffled my hair. "Don't think so hard about it. You just have to let yourself realize how human she really is and how much she values life to do anything like that." I huffed, but then decided to change the subject.

"I'll try. And by the way, if we're dating, you can't tousle my hair like you did when I was a kid. Things are different now." He smiled slightly.

"No tousling. Understood." I leaned back and thought about Quil in my life, my whole life. What a job he had imprinting on me. Waiting must've been so hard. And then something hit me.

"You're a thirty-year old virgin," I blurted out. He held up a finger.

"I'm a little older than 30. And I prefer 'waiting for the right one' if you're into labels," he responded playfully.

"I like that," I decided. The rest of the ride home was comfortable. I was glad Quil didn't put so much pressure on me to like Renesmee. I liked her before I found out about her. It was bound to happen again. I hoped.

Quil pulled into my driveway and killed the engine like he always did when he drove me home. It was usually a fun time for us to chat before he walked me to the door and said good night with a good night kiss. But tonight, I didn't feel like talking. Quil might have had a topic in mind, but before he could say anything, I unclipped out of my seatbelt and jumped him, crashing my lips into his. He was so stunned that it took him awhile to kiss me back and hold me comfortably. I scooted so that I was at a comfortable distance from him so that we could really enjoy our make out. His hand ran through my hair before and then grazed my neck as he ran his hand down my shoulder and chest. I loved feeling his magnificent hand on me and felt him get nearer to my breast.

Just as placed his hand on my breast, he must've realized what he was feeling and jumped back, hitting his back against the driver door.

"I'm so sorry, Claire, I'm so sorry," he sputtered.

"Why? Quil, don't be sorry. I want to be with you. I like it when you touch me." He took my hands in his.

"We have all the time in the world for that."

"But don't you have needs, Quil? 30-year-old needs?"

"Of course. Of course I do. Believe me, imprinting doesn't mean I don't get those feelings. But I like enjoying this part of dating," he said gesturing to the two of us. "Going to see terrible movies miles and miles away, discovering new things about each other, even though we've known each other so long, chatting it up in a beat up car outside your house. It's nice. It's fine to just take our time. We'll get there when we get there." I leaned back and pursed my lips.

"Prude."

Quil

"Hey Jake," I said coming out of my room. Claire was going to the doctor's with her dad like she promised last week, so I thought it was a good chance to talk to him. He was sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Hey Quil," he responded. I rubbed the back of my head, unsure of how to start.

"So, about Claire.."

"Look, it's fine," he said cutting me off. But I knew him. Even if we couldn't read each other's mind when we phased, I could see that it wasn't fine. I knew he was tired of every single human having beef about his girlfriend. No one gave her credit for being human or that the only human blood she's ever had were the ones the hospitals had too much of and were going to throw away. Of everyone though, he thought Claire would be the most accepting. He was really crushed, disappointed when he found out she was the worst one. The other women were older than her and much friendlier to Nessie. But she couldn't even pretend to be comfortable around her.

"Yeah," I said for lack of other words and took a seat beside him on the couch. I exhaled sharply. _Well this sucked_. "She'll come around." She smiled and sighed, then looked up at me.

"I don't think she will." He bent forward to get a drink from his beer can and leaned back. "We're thinking of leaving."

"Because of Claire? That's dumb, man," I protested.

"No, not because of Claire. It's just.. Renesmee's always the one left out, you know? Everyone gets together and babysits each other's kids, goes shopping together. She doesn't have that. I was kinda hoping that she and Claire could become friends. Then maybe she wouldn't feel so lonely."

"Renesmee tell you all this?" He shook his head.

"You know her. She'd never say this to me, but I can see it."

"What about the pack?"

"It'd probably go back to how it was. Sam'd be leader; I'd go off on my own with Nessie. It's better that way, for everyone." I grabbed Jacob's can and took a drink.

"I doubt that."

Claire

I felt sick, which ironic because I was at the hospital. Actually, it was because of the hospital I felt sick. Well, if I was being honest, I had been sick for a long time, apparently. I clutched tightly to the medical summary I was given of the tests I had taken a few days ago with my dad. We had to be here personally to get our results, and I couldn't come when he came to get his. I knew I wouldn't be able to tell anyone, not because I didn't want them to know, but because I couldn't find the words. Maybe it was a form of denial. I stuffed the papers and brochures of treatment options in my purse as I headed for the bus.

I stopped at the beach on my way home and sat on the rocks, watching the waves crash against them. I didn't even think. I just did nothing. It may have been the worst way to waste time, but it helped, because I knew when I went home, everything would be different. At least if I stayed on this rock, I was fine. But the moment I got home, I'd be a sick girl. Eventually I got up and took my time walking home. The world looked different now, but it was just me.

**I'm sorry it's kinda short considering how long it's been since I updated, but it seemed like a good place to stop. I got a few papers due this week (that's right.. it's plural)… but I will have the next one up soon. Thanks for reading! Review! **


	21. Somewhere Only We Know

**Okay.. so I just realizd that I forgot to do one of my homework assignments due today.. plus I had two papers (a ten page and a 6 page), and a quiz. But here I am doing what I always do. That's right people… I got my priorities straight.**

**So many of you have guessed well of what was going to happen… but I'm pretty sure it's not going to end up the way some of you think it will, so do keep reading. In any case.. here is the next chapter!**

Somewhere Only We Know

Quil

I loved barbecues. It was really fun seeing everyone together. Jacob always came, but we all knew they made him a little sad since Renesmee never did. Claire was here though, so at least I was happy. It was Collin's turn to cook. We sat in his family's house on the couches eating away at his famous ribs.

"If you get anything on that couch, Ateara, you're going to lick it clean," Marina, Collin's wife, threatened. I hovered my sauce-covered fingers over the brown leather couch, and then stopped when she gave me a look that could cut through glass.

"I'll be good, Marina," I promised. She smiled charmingly and walked away as Seth came to sit with Claire and me.

"Hi, Seth," Claire said. "Where are Lisa and Liza?" she asked about his daughters.

"They're here, somewhere. I hope," he said looking around. "You guys hear about Embry?" Claire and I looked at each other and back at Seth.

"No, what's going on with Embry?" she asked.

"He imprinted."

"No way," I gasped.

"Way," he said, mocking me. "Met her this morning and shifted while I was patrolling."

"How'd it happen?" Claire asked excitedly.

"This small convenience store the size of a pebble that Embry had never been in got a new girl. Her first day. He goes in there, bam! Imprinting's crazy like that."

"So where is he?" I asked. "I'd have thought he'd want to show her off.".

"Not a chance. Said he just wanted to hang out with her alone." Seth chuckled. "I remember those days, first imprinting. It's awesome." He gave me a wink and shoved some salad in his mouth. I shook my head at him, telling him to never wink at me again.

"Seth! Where'd you put the cups?" Rachel called from the kitchen. He gave us a salute with two fingers and went to help Rachel and Kim.

"Was it like that for you?" she asked me.

"When I first imprinted? Do you ever remember me not there? I couldn't stand being apart from you. And that was when you were two."

"It must've been hard to wait so long. Everyone else gets to go out and marry right away."

"I didn't mind waiting."

"Oooh.." Paul cooed mockingly from where he was in the kitchen. "Quil and Claire sitting in a tree.." he sang. We looked over at him and then each other before laughing. Claire leaned over to me and cupped her mouth over my ear.

"Wanna go find a tree?" I thought I heard her purr, and that got me curious.

"Here? Now?" I whispered.

"Wouldn't it be fun to make out in someone else's home?" To be honest, that kinda turned me on a little. Claire and I hadn't been so physical in our relationship, so the fact that she was willing to do something risky was intriguing. Maybe it was teenager in me that never got a chance to sneak around with a girl. Better late than never, right?

"There's a spare bedroom upstairs," I suggested.

"Meet me there in five?" She smiled and got up to throw out her empty plate and cup before heading up. I sat where I was, continuing to eat, pretending I wasn't so excited I wanted jump up with fireworks blasting behind me. _Four minutes to go!_

"Stop, Austin! Give it back! It's not yours!" Seth's girl, Lisa, exclaimed. Austin was running around the living room with a piece of paper in his hand. I stretched out a hand and caught him just as he tried to run past me.

"Watcha got there, Austin?" I asked, taking the paper from him.

"Austin keeps going through people's stuff," Lisa reported.

"Shut up, Lisa," he snapped. I meant to say something about his language, but my eye barely glanced at the papers when I caught the words "medical examination". I flipped through the pages, but it was written quite plainly. _Diagnosis: Lymphoma Stage: Four_. Lymphoma. Wasn't that cancer?

"Austin, where did you get this?" I asked seriously.

"Cousin Claire's bag," he said pointing to where she had left it. I checked the name on the front. No, it wasn't true. How could it be? She wasn't sick. We were just talking. She's waiting for me so we could make out. She told me everything was fine at the doctor's. She wasn't sick. She couldn't be sick. Not that kind of sick. Stage 4? No way. How do you get to Stage 4 and not show symptoms? No, this was wrong. She wasn't sick. She wasn't.

I went upstairs to where I knew Claire was waiting for me.

"Hey, you," she said enticingly. I closed the door behind me.

"Claire, what is this?" I asked holding up the paper as she looked at what I was holding. "Austin went through your bag. I took it from him." Claire took the paper from me.

"Did anyone else see it?"

"No." She was looking down at it, but I knew she wasn't reading. "Is it true?" She exhaled and nodded, still not looking at me. "When did you find out?"

"Last week."

"I didn't even know you took any tests." She nodded, still not looking up at me.

"The doctor said he felt something suspicious on my neck, so they took a blood sample." Her voice cracked a bit and she covered her mouth with her hand. I saw her cheeks glistening. She was crying. I quickly pulled her to met and let her cry. So many questioned swarmed through my head. Could she get treated? Did this mean she was dying? How long did she have? But I didn't ask them. I just let her cry into my chest. I was sad, but I wasn't a crier. Maybe it didn't quite hit me yet. I squeezed Claire tighter to me, careful not to crush her. I felt like there was a monster after her, the only one I couldn't protect her from. All I knew was that Claire was sad, scared, and sick. So what the hell was I supposed to do now?

I was with her when she told her parents. We were all pretty devastated. A lot of tears and hugging happened. I couldn't even imagine what it must've been like to be her parents. I loved Claire more than life and it was killing me. But she was their baby.

"So how does she seem okay if she's so far into it?" Claire's father asked the doctor at the hospital. We all went with her for support.

"Unfortunately, sometimes the symptoms are so subtle they can be mistaken for other things," the doctor answered, "such as coughing, chest pains, bruising. Often times by the time they do come up, the condition has already become quite serious.

"So what can we do?" Claire's mom asked.

"At this point, we can try the regular treatment options. Surgery is an option. We can try to remove as much as we can and hope that will be enough." He sighed before going on. "However, considering how far we are in stages, I would not in good conscious recommend this option. The surgery could greatly weaken her, and there's a great risk." He didn't think she'd survive surgery. It was starting to hit me how sick she was. She wasn't just ill; she was dying.

"What else is there?" I asked.

"There is chemotherapy. We can also put Claire on a list for bone marrow transplant." I couldn't tell you how hard it was to hear words like "chemotherapy" and "transplant". This couldn't be our world. Our kind didn't have stuff like this happen. In the end, Claire would take the usual steps to fighting, but I could see the hopelessness in the doctor's eyes. He gave her less than 6 months. Those words were also hard to hear.

I learned a lot about medical stuff in a few weeks. I found out bone marrow compatibility wasn't as easy as bloodtyping. Of course not. That would've been too easy. The marrow itself had to be compatible. Her parents were already tested, but they weren't a match. Her friends sent their DNA samples to the bank already. No one needed to remind me that I couldn't help her that way. Everyone I knew wouldn't be able to explain why our skin healed over the needle when we were shot, and also our feverish temperatures.

Renesmee never called meetings. None of imprints did. Actually, not even the wolves other than the leaders did. But she insisted, so Jacob made everyone gather up at Sam and Emily's house. Both packs were there.

"My grandpa wants to help Claire," Renesmee started, "but he needs to find a match. And you guys can't be part of a nationwide bank. If you match for anyone other than Claire, that could give someone else false hope since you wouldn't be able to actually donate it because it will probably raise questions and reveal your secret. But Carlisle said that he'd be able to do the transplant without drawing attention to you. You just need to give send a cheek swab in a Ziploc bag.

"What if one of us is a match?" Sam asked. I uncharacteristically growled at him. He was going to put his pride in Claire's way to recovery? "Quil, we need to know what the risks are." I said no more, but my sentiment for his intentions was clear.

"From what Grandpa has explained to me, the risk is minimal enough for humans so long as they are of age and not pregnant. The problem is keeping the needle in you long enough to extract what he needs. That could get complicated." Everyone glanced around at each other before Renesmee spoke up again. "First things first. If you want a chance to help Claire, this is the only way. At best, they'll find a human match and my grandpa will have the inconvenience of disposing of your swabs." There were some mumblings between the guys that I didn't bother to listen to. Leah put a hand on my shoulder and looked up at Emily.

"Where do you keep the cotton swabs, Em?" she asked. Emily was already prepared.

"Got 'em right here."

Claire had her days. We were only a few weeks into her treatment. Some days she was running like a wolf, laughing, planning the next day. Others, she couldn't get out of bed. Those days were hard for me, though obviously worse for her. Sometimes I would panic that she wouldn't wake up. This was one of those days.

I waited until her parents had fallen asleep. I didn't want to bother them or make them feel obligated to entertain me until I left. I hopped up the side of Claire' two-story house and cracked her window open.

She was so pale, almost green. They said the chemo would do that. I exhaled a stifled whimper. _Why her?_

"Quil?" I looked up to see Claire's barely open eyes, setting the list down.

"Hey, Claire." I didn't realize I had been crying until my voice cracked. I blinked my tears back.

"Go to sleep, baby. I didn't mean to wake you." She smiled and touched my wet eyes. I tried take the focus off me. "How are you feeling?"

"Queasy," she said sitting up a little bit. I helped readjust her pillow.

"Do you need to throw up?" She shook her head.

"Don't cry, Quil." I smiled, trying to compensate for showing her my sadness. "What are you thinking about?" I took her hand and kissed me before looking back up at her tiredly.

"I was thinking about our future. I was thinking we could get out of this reservation. I'd get a job at a big web design company and save enough to buy you a big house. You could stay at home, get a dog to fill the extra space until the kids start coming. We'd have Christmas at our place since it's the nicest and both of our parents would come. The dog would try to get the turkey, but I'd always know. Eventually I could retire and we're travel every year to the spot your finger lands on when you spin the globe. I'd buy you a dress to show you off when we go dancing; you coerced me, of course." She smiled perfectly at me.

"Sounds wonderful," she said quietly. Her eyes were getting heavy.

"Go to sleep, babe. I'll be back tomorrow." She smiled and closed her eyes. I kissed her forehead, feeling how warm she was. "Good night, Claire." I lingered to watch her sleep, hearing her heart, watching her breathe, and then slipped out her window.

**Anyone wanna guess what's gonna happen? I won't tell you're if you're right or wrong.. so not to spoil it… but since many of you seemed to know what was going to happen to Claire. I didn't hide it very well though, I'll admit. I was actually going to go with a genetic disease that I kinda have experience with, but I couldn't remember the name. Either case.. what'd ya think?**


	22. Her Choice

**Thank you guys for your comments! I got some interesting ideas for what's coming up (that's right, Demiser of d, I'm talking about you!) and others were totally on the money, but I got a slight twist, so keep reading! NEwayz.. here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Her Choice

Claire

_Wow, chemo really does make your hair fall out_, I thought when I looked at my pillow after waking up. Not just fall out, expel out of my head. It was almost disturbing to see so much hair on my pillow and bed. I understood why people just shaved their heads.

"Hey, babe," Quil greeted me when he opened the door and gave me a kiss. "I didn't know you were coming. You feeling all right?"

"Yeah. My dad dropped me off." He let me in.

"I actually have a favor to ask of you," I said. I dug into my bag and pulled out a razor. He raised an eyebrow and after 5 minutes of staring at me like I was a furry apple pie. Finally, he followed me to the bathroom.

I tied my hair in a ponytail. It wasn't too long, about shoulder length, but whatever I did have I hoped would be enough to donate to Locks of Love. Quil looked at me hesitantly in the mirror before cutting through my thinning locks. I put my hair in a large Ziploc bag. He started grabbing bunches of hair and cut as close to the scalp as possible with a pair of scissors. I watched as my beautiful hair fell away until I looked like a hairy bald man.

"I don't know how to do this," Quil said, holding up the razor to my shaving-foamed head.

"Just pretend it's a face," I encouraged.

"I haven't shaved in 17 years, babe. And even then, there wasn't a whole lot." I laughed.

"Just go slowly, and be gentle." He gave one last sigh and started.

It took a long time, especially around the ears, but I was becoming a classic cancer patient. I was really surprised how different I looked without hair. I pulled out a silk scarf from my bag and tried to figure out how to tie it on my head. I tried to do it like a bandana, but that didn't seem right. Quil took it from me and sat me down on the toilet and tied it expertly around my head.

"Am I still pretty, Quil?" I asked as he finished. He crouched low to my level.

"You're beautiful, Claire." I knew his words were empty, but I didn't care; I still liked the words. He kissed me, but it was a sad kiss. He brushed away the hair that wasn't there out of habit. I realized what it was like to watch me deteriorate before his eyes. It must be so hard for him to live through, like clutching onto sand, not being able to do anything about the sand still falling through. I had to be strong for him, my parents, myself. But I couldn't, not really. I started crying. Quil pulled back and used his thumbs to wipe my tears. "What's wrong, babe?"

"I'm sorry," I said looking down, playing with my fingers.

"Sorry for what?"

"For being sick." He chuckled and lifted me up so that he was on the toilet with me on his lap.

"It's just how it is," he said. "I'm sorry you're sick too." The tears kept falling. Quil grabbed some Kleenex and wiped them away. Eventually he just kissed them away. His distraction was working and I started kissing his beautiful features between his kisses to mine. When our lips touched, I felt our emotional vulnerabilities get the better of us. I kissed him hard and hungrily as he reciprocated. His hands ran down my back and stayed at my waist. I shifted and my shirt under his fingers moved so that he was touching my bare waist. His fingers hesitantly crept up and stopped at my lower back.

"Do you want me, Quil?" I asked, momentarily breaking our kiss before resuming, my eyes still closed.

"Yes," he whispered into my mouth.

"Show me." His hands moved upwards towards the back of my bra. "It unclasps in the front." He pulled back looking me straight in the eyes as his hands reaching around to find the hooks at the front of my bra, still hidden under my shirt. He seemed nervous as he unhooked it. I smiled and nodded to encourage him. He slowly slid one hands up so that it hovered over my breast before finding the courage to touch the sensitive flesh. I exhaled sharply at his touch. I thought that fueled his assertiveness and he began to lightly massage me, causing me to moan. I closed my eyes. I couldn't believe how good it felt to have him touch me. I smashed my lips to his again and he became more aggressive with his hand on my bare breast. He was breathing hard, almost moaning. Quil stood up and swung my legs around so that I was straddling him as he walked us out of the bathroom into his bedroom.

Quil set me down on his bed and knelt on the floor at my level.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked me.

"I'm sure." I reached down and pulled my shirt over my head as he did the same. I had seen his body so many times before now, but it seemed so much better at this moment. He untied the scarf on my head and bent to kiss my bald head. I moved up so that I could lie comfortably on the bed as he moved to join me.

"Just to warn you, I don't actually know how to do this," he said. I laughed.

"Just do what feels good." He kissed me again before pulling up.

" You're so beautiful, Claire." He continued to kiss me and tease me with the backs of his fingers as he ran up and down my body. "Beautiful."

"Thanks for the warning, Grandpa," I heard Renesmee say as she hung up her cell phone when I entered my house after dropping off Claire.

"Was that Carlisle?" I asked. "What did he say? Are the wolves a match?" She glanced over at Jacob then back at me.

"No, I'm sorry. None of the wolves match." I could feel the flicker of light in me go out. My hope was diffusing. We still didn't hear back from the hospital about a match, and the people closest to her, her own family, weren't close enough.

Just then, a faint familiar vampire scent interrupted my thoughts.

"Crap, he's fast," Nessie muttered to herself. "I thought I had more time to get out of here."

"What does Edward want?" Jacob asked. She sighed.

"My grandpa warned me that he called him before calling me." I saw Edward approach the house angrily and opened the door for him. Since Renesmee was coming over so often, we decided to redraw the boundary lines for her family.

"Hey, Edward," I said as I opened the door for him.

"Quil," he said politely as he stepped inside the house.

"Dad, can we talk about this at home?" she pleaded.

"No, Jacob needs to hear this," he said. Jacob straightened up.

"What do I need to know?" Edward looked over at Nessie.

"I don't care, Renesmee, it's too dangerous," he said.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked. Nessie pleaded with her father with a look, then gave up and sighed.

"The wolves aren't a match for Claire. I am."

"There are only a few ways anything is going to pierce her skin, not to mention her _bone_, and I will not allow it," Edward protested. "Jacob." Jacob stood speechless, shocked and conflicted.

"Nessie's a match?" I digested. After a month and a half of searching for a match, it was standing in my living room, guarded by iron skin and bones, protected by the two most vicious fighting creatures I had ever seen.

"I'm sorry, Quil. I know about your imprinting. But she is my child."

"Dad, it will be fine."

"No, Nessie. You are built like one of us but we don't know how you heal. If you heal like a human, we won't know how to fix you if something happens." He looked up at Jacob. "Jacob, you can't allow this. She's your mate. You swore to me you wouldn't let anything happen to her." I wanted to plead with him too for Claire's sake, but how could I justify it? Risk his mate for mine? I'd never forgive myself if something happened and Claire wouldn't do it if she knew the risk, even if it was a vampire helping her.

I couldn't see Claire for awhile, at least not the way I wanted to. She couldn't get up, weaker than ever. I could almost see her life leaking out of her, along with her will. She was in pain, I could see it. Still, she always smiled when I was there, held out a hand for me to hold.

I walked into Claire's room. She had been asking for me, her mother said. She was hooked up with an oxygen machine. Her eyes were heavy, but she fought to keep them open. She smiled when I walked in. It took everything out of me to put on a smile for her when all I wanted to do was hide in her arms and cry like a child. She was so sick, so weak. I could hear her labored breaths and her slowing heart.

"Hey, Babe," I said as I closed the door behind me.

"Hi, Quil," she whispered. I pulled up a chair beside her and kissed her on the forehead.

"How are we today?" She began to cough and I helped sit her up, holding her because her own weight was too much for her. I grabbed the trash can right before she hurled into it. I pat her back, saying nothing, hoping that acting like it was normal wouldn't make her feel so bad. I knew it was all the same to her. She covered her mouth and began to cry. I grabbed the cup of water on her nightstand helped her drink it. After a second or two, I lay her back down, tear still streaming down her face, her body too weak to make the noises.

"I'm so tired, Quil," she said, turning her head from me.

"I know, Claire. I'll let you get some rest." She shook her head.

"I'm tired." She paused before going on. "I want to go." I stared at her, afraid to ask what she meant by those words. Where would she want to go? "I just want to go." I shook my head, realizing what she wanted.

"Don't leave me, Claire," I whispered back. "You promised. You promised to never destroy me." More tears came.

"I'm sorry. I can't." I said no more. Maybe it was part of the illness; the will to live suddenly seeps out. I held her, rocking her till she fell asleep. It was selfish of me to want her to stay for my happiness. I kissed her face, stroking her translucent skin. Maybe she didn't have to be taken from me if I let her go. Maybe those were my options, the lessons I was supposed to learn.

I had snapped. Now I was running through the forest with one thought on my mind: kill. I ran so hard I knew we'd be covering up my footprints in the forest floor soon after, but I didn't care. Something was going to die today.

Claire had given up. She was the fighting kind, and she was giving up. What kind of pain could a person experience to accept death as a means to end it? My heart ached to know she knew of that pain, but I couldn't let her go. I sat on the edge of a cliff for days without any thoughts. I had no solutions, no possible outs. Just a path leading me straight to hell and Claire to heaven. I needed something to blame, something to kill. So I charged for the thing that I could blame, but couldn't destroy. He was there to meet me before I even got to his house.

He said nothing, knowing what I was thinking. He knew I needed to do this, and he knew I couldn't. Edward amused me, defensively attacking me, running into me with his shoulder. I bit at his leg, but he knew my thoughts. I needed to fight smart. I tried to look for his weaknesses, biting, charging them, but always a moment short.

"Quil, what are you doing?" I heard Renesmee yell. Apparently I had caught her family's attention, but I paid no attention. I saw Jacob out of the corner of my eye, but he remained silent. Edward jumped up and I sprang to meet him, making a quick judgment to catch him by his side and threw him to the ground. He retaliated and threw me off, but I didn't land far away. "Jacob, stop him," Renesmee continued to beg, but Jacob just held her.

"Quil!" Bella cried, but I ignored her. She stayed to the side with Renesmee and her mate, unable to do anything.

_She wants to die_, I thought to Edward. _I have to watch her die_. Edward's face remained unchanged. _What could you know about loss, Edward? You got everything you ever wanted, and you're the effin' vampire! _I lunged at him again, my teeth bared, my feet digging into the dirt as I swiped at him with my claws. _I'm the protector! I waited for her for 16 years, and you'll just sit back and watch me lose her!_ He let me strike him and I used that weakness to dig my teeth into his iron flesh. I bit as hard as I could, feeling the cold on my lips and I tore him up.

"Quil, that's enough!" Jacob finally spoke up. I let up, looking back at Jacob. By the time my eyes returned to Edward, his cuts and rips were healed. I stared at him accusingly as he rose and straightened himself out, choosing to ignore that he in fact had done nothing wrong.

"All right, Quil," he said. "If my daughter is willing, she may choose how she wants to help. I won't stop her." I stood there in shock, unsure of what to say. It wasn't the response I expected, or even hoped for. I didn't know what it was that I was hoping to accomplish. Without a word, Edward walked past me and motioned to our spectators to go back into the house, leaving me where I was. I saw a glimmer of hope in my dark tunnel, and for that I was grateful. I hoped Edward knew that. Now I needed to convince Claire to live.

**That last part took me awhile to come up with. I wrote like 3 different versions of how Edward was going to give his consent, but I was never happy with them. I liked this one though.. I don't know why. Newayz.. review! But no flames, please! I got a lot of stuff coming up for the next few weeks, so flames will make me sad.. and I have no time for sad. :D**


	23. Operation Get Claire Better

Operation Get Claire Better

"Hey, Claire." I didn't like to wake her up, but at the same time I was relieved to see she did. She feebly blinked her eyes and looked up at me. She looked so different without her hair, still beautiful. "How are you feeling, babe?"

"Same," she answered hoarsely.

"I know you want to stop fighting, but I thought you should know we found a match." I paused. Now I gave her the choice. "We could do a surgery, but we don't know how it will turn out, or if your body can handle it." I stopped. It seemed more real when I said the words. Renesmee was only a small light at the end of a long dark tunnel, but there were so many other things in the way. She put her thin hand on my face.

"I'm sorry," she said. I swallowed hard. "I shouldn't have said those things. I don't want to leave you behind." I smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. I'll do the surgery," she whispered. "I don't want to be sick anymore." I put my hand on hers and kissed it.

"Me neither."

I told Claire's parents that she wanted to stay over at my place. Obviously, if they knew what we were doing they would want to wait with us, which couldn't happen because I knew things would seem shady seeing how we were going to do it in the old Cullen house. Carlisle somehow managed to turn his basement into an O.R.; I didn't ask how. Neither Edward nor Carlisle could bite Renesmee because they were venomous and weren't sure how that would affect her seeing she had a heart. Jacob was sure he wouldn't be able to do it, so I was the only one left. So I gave him my word that just for the few hours of the surgery, I would put Nessie's life over Claire's. I dropped us over to the Cullen house with Claire lying down in the backseat. Carlisle had her hooked up to some oxygen since her breaths were getting short. I lay her down on the operating table. I hated that she needed to see this room before her surgery, but it was the simplest way.

"Good afternoon, Claire," Carlisle said calmly. "I'm Dr. Cullen, Resnemee's grandfather. I understand that you are feeling a bit anxious." She nodded politely like he stated the most obvious thing in the world. "Quil will be with us the whole time."

"Are you a vampire?" she asked timidly.

"Yes, I am. I am sorry; I know that you are understandably uncomfortable with this arrangement, but I have been a doctor for a long time and am very good at what I do."

"How long?" He smiled as he played around with some needles and tubes.

"Very long." He looked up and nodded to me. "Okay, Claire. I am going to give you some gas first to put you to sleep, so just relax." He put a mask over her face as I stood on her other side, holding her hand. Claire's blinks became slower.

"It'll be over soon, babe," I promised. "I won't leave your side." She nodded and eventually fell asleep. Carlisle checked everything to make sure all was going well.

"Okay, Renesmee, put your mask on and come down here, please," Carlisle said as if she was standing in the room with us. After a few seconds Renesmee walked down the steps and lay on the other operating tables. Carlisle walked over to her.

"How are you, my dear?" he asked.

"Nervous, but I feel good," she answered.

"You know unfortunately I won't be able to put you to sleep. The gas will not work with you and I cannot pierce your skin for the anesthetic." She nodded, already been told this before.

"I know, Grandpa."

"Would you like something to bite?" she shook her head. Carlisle left her side to do something to Claire that I assumed was going to put marrow in or suck it out. I didn't understand what was going on. Finally he went back to the both of us.

"Okay, Quil. Bite slowly. When you get to the bone, I only need a crack. The needle is extremely thin." He looked up at Renesmee. "Renesmee is an incredibly unsterile way for us to get your marrow, so I will need to clean it as soon as the needle is in. There is a very real chance of infection. You understand this?"

"I know, Grandpa." He sighed and kissed her forehead. He looked up at me and nodded.

"Slowly, Quil. I need a crack through the bone." I sat in the chair and took Renesmee's upper arm. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before biting down.

There was more resistance than I expected, even for a vampire. I bit harder, feeling Renesmee's muscles tense and flinched, but she never made a sound. I cut through the skin, feeling the blood start to ooze out. I cut through her flesh, muscles, and veins until I got the bone. I really had to bite down into it before I knew I'd make any kind of mark in it. Renesmee's breathing was audible, but she lay still. I could only imagine what this must feel like for her without any pain killers. Finally I felt he crack of her bone. I quickly let up so Carlisle could pour some liquid over it, I assumed to clean it and get the needle in before it healed. He worked quickly and carefully, using his heightened senses to feel around the crack. There was a lot of blood; I couldn't believe how composed he seemed. He shook his head.

"It's not through the bone. You'll need to go a little hard. Still go slowly, Quil." Renesmee's face was facing the other way, eyes tightly shut and a whimper escaped her chest, but she fought through the pain. I hated to have to break her bone again. I slowly bit into her again, trying to go through the original bite to do the least amount of damage. I got the bone and bit again until it cracked some more. I prayed that it was deep enough and released her. Carlisle stuck the thin needle in her again.

"You got it," he said and got to work to extract her marrow. I rinsed my mouth out with water that was in a cup Carlisle had ready and split it into another cup. "Did she heal at all?" Carlisle asked me as he worked.

"I don't think so," I said. He didn't seem concerned .or relieved. "Is that bad?"

"I'm not sure, Mr. Ateara. On the one hand, I don't have to worry about her healing over a very thin needle. However, I am worried how this wound will heal, not the mention infection." I grabbed a towel and dabbed Renesmee's face. She was sweating with her face will squished up, her breathing sporadic and labored.

"Forgive me, Nessie," I whispered to her. Her breathing grew hard. I walked over to Claire who seemed so peaceful, oblivious of what was going on. It seemed like hours Carlisle worked. Every beep and noise that came up gave me a near heart attack, but he never lost his cool. He must've been an amazing doctor. He was doing the work of a room full of doctors, nurses, and aestheticians. I was useless, but I stayed like I promised.

Everything seemed to be going well. Finally stuff stopped flowing in and out of the girls and Carlisle removed the needles. He went to Renesmee and cleaned the wound one more time before tightly wrapping the bite mark and cleaned her up.

"Esme had all your stuff set up in your old room, Renesmee. You won't be able to move too much until the wound closes or else the blood will just come out since I can't stitch you up. She nodded, already knowing this part of the plan. "I'll also need to redress this at least once a day." He looked to the door of the basement. "Jacob, could you come down here, please?" he asked loudly. Jacob was through the door fast and rushed in.

"Nessie? How you doing, babe?" he asked stroking her hair. She just nodded.

"She refused pain killers before, but she can have some Vicodin. Can you very carefully take her upstairs to her room?" Jacob gently picked her up so that her hurting arm was against his chest and took her away.

"You should take Claire upstairs as well. The inside of an O.R. is a terrible place to wake up." I carefully carried her upstairs and placed her on Edward's bed. (I had heard he got one because Bella slept over. I didn't want to know why Emmett and Rosalie had one.) She looked the same. Skin was still pale and thin as rice paper. But I had hope now. All I could do now was wait.


	24. The Dream

The Dream

Claire

I dreamt I was standing in the forest, an area I had never known. The night brought an eerie darkness and the air invoked a mist that stayed near the ground. I realized that I was dressed in a white flowing  
dress. I had no shoes, but I wasn't cold. I looked up at the night sky. There were so many stars; it was beautiful. I walked over to the edge of the forest until I reached a cliff. The water was still beneath it. I felt the wind whisper wordless songs to me. I felt the urge to jump into the inviting waters under me, but it wasn't time yet. I started to feel tired and closed my eyes.

I woke up, confused of where I was. I looked at my hands, somehow really fascinated by how they moved. I looked down to see Quil asleep on the floor in a very uncomfortable position. I smiled and stroked his face. He really would do anything for me. I smelled bacon; I could see Quil licking his lips like he could taste it in his dream. Finally his eyes opened.

"Morning," I said somewhat energetically.

"Hey," he said, sitting up. "How are you feeling?" I shrugged.

"Same, maybe a little weaker."

"Well, you have an excuse. Come on. Smells like Esme's making breakfast." He picked me up and carried me downstairs.

"Good morning," a woman, I assumed was Esme, greeted us. "How are you feeling, Claire? You had quite a day yesterday." I looked up at Quil hesitantly. Obviously this woman knew about me, and I was pretty sure I knew about her. She smiled kindly, the kind if smile that made you forget what she was. I was still uneasy, but I trusted Quil. "You must be hungry." She put out two incredibly generous helpings of breakfast foods. "Carlisle told me what foods you can and cannot eat, Claire. Eat slowly, but eat well." She smiled at Quil and then left us alone. I hesitantly grabbed a fork and hovered over thee food. Quil took his fork and stabbed one of my pancakes and ate it.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

"Just testing it," he said with his mouth full. "It's perfect." I used the fork and knife and ate some of it. It was delicious.

Quil managed to eat all of his and most of mine since it was too much for me.

"Okay, let's get you home," he said.

Quil

I took Claire back to Carlisle every day, then every other day, then once a week. He kept saying it was too soon to tell whether or not she was better, but he wanted to check up in her, which help put me at ease. At least we were doing what we could to keep her safe.

I went over to Claire's one day. Her parents were out to work since they had missed so much work already, but made me promise I'd call if something happened. She seemed to be at her usual self.

"Hey, Babe," I said when entered her room. She put down the book she was reading and ran to give me a hug. "You look well." She was rosier and some of her hair was growing back. I had to rub it. She smacked me and reached over to wrap the scarf on her head.

"Have you eaten? My mom said there are English muffins in the refrigerator."

"Sounds good. Need any help?"

"To toast and butter bread? I think I can handle it." I laughed.

"Okay. I need the bathroom." We walked out and I went to the bathroom as she went downstairs. I was happy Claire was looking good. Carlisle said we should go to the hospital for a full screening, but I was hopeful. Things were looking up. I dried my hands on my pants and went back to Claire's room.

She wasn't there. I guessed I peed faster than I thought, so I went downstairs to help her.

"Guess you do need help," I said jokingly. I looked around, but I didn't see her, even though her scent told me she was here. "Claire?" I looked around, seeing if she was trying to hide and jump out at me.

Just then I saw half of an English muffin on the floor. I walked around and saw Claire's feet violently shaking from behind the island. "Claire!" I pulled out my phone and called Carlisle as I knelt by her.

"Carlisle! Claire's seizing!" I cried.

"How long?" he asked.

"I don't know. Few seconds. Maybe minutes."

"Roll her on her side and don't stick anything in her mouth until she stops. Then call 911." I hung up and did what he said before calling the three hardest numbers.

I followed the ambulance to the hospital and called Claire's parents on the way. I expected Carlisle to meet us there, so I called him when I didn't see him.

"Carlisle, where are you?" I asked.

"Quil, there's been an incident. Renesmee fell into a coma."

"What?"

"Claire is in good hands. They won't need to know about her transplant until much later. I'll be able to take care of everything by then."

"How's Ness?"

"There was an infection and spread quickly. The antibiotics were too weak if at all effective. Her vitals are weak but present, so we can only wait." I hung up and sat with my head in my hands. I thought the worst was over. We were out of the freaking woods! It cut through my heart the possibility Claire would not survive. I tried to stay positive, but it was hard without hope.

Claire

I woke up with a gasp, partially sitting up, in a cold sweat. _What the hell happened?_ I remembered making some English muffins. The next thing I knew, I wasn't. Somehow I ended up back in my room on my bed. Where did Quil go? My house was empty and dark, which was strange since it was morning a few moments ago.

"Quil?" I called. I got up and headed to the door when my reflection in my full mirror stopped me. I was so pale and the bags under my eyes were deep and exaggerated. I wasn't as thin as I was before. I was like a beautiful death princess. I was creepy. My outfit really caught my attention though. It was the same one I was wearing in my dream before. A long white flowing gown that made me look even more like death. "Mom? Dad?" I began running through my house. Everything was as if the world faded and left me behind. The entire house was dark. I ran outside. The night was starless and the streetlights forgot to wake up.

I started to run through the streets. It was a ghost town.

"Hello?" I called. The houses looked deserted; I was growing scared. "Hello?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw stirring. "Hey!" I called after it as I picked up my pace. I followed the shadow into the forest. I was surprised of how much energy I had. I realized I wasn't wearing shoes, but I didn't feel the harshness of the forest floor. I followed the shadow, noticing her long curly hair. I was chasing a woman, and I could guess who it was.

She stopped at the edge of a cliff that approached much quicker than it should have. She was staring out at the waves that were crashing miles below us with her hair blowing in the soft wind. I stood beside her, staring at what she was staring.

"You know, my mom jumped this cliff once," Renesmee said. "She was human when she did it. It was a way to see my father."

"Quite a jump," I commented. She blinked.

"Jacob saved her." She smiled as if she spoke of her own memory.

"What's happening to us?" I asked her.

"We're dying, Claire," she said as she turned her head to me. I shook my head.

"How do you know?" She looked back down at the waves.

"I just know." I began to freak out.

"Well, how do we stop it?" She chuckled.

"How many people do you know stop death?" I knelt down and held my knees to my chest.

"Why are you so calm?" I asked.

"I don't know." Minutes went by and we sat and stood in silence. Just then we heard rumbling, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. We looked around and then at each other.

"What is that?" I asked. Renesmee stood silent for awhile.

"Run," she said. I stalled for a bit, not realizing what she said. "Run!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me through the forest. She was showing me her thoughts as we ran. She didn't know what we were running from, but she knew we needed to avoid it.

Quil

That damn beeping made me want to punch it in the face. Then again, it was better than the machine not beeping at all, or giving me a long one, so I let it be. Claire's parents sat with me, wondering what was happening to her. I stepped out to use the john and decided to call Jacob and see how he was holding up.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Hey, just wanted to know how you were doing," I said. He sighed.

"Just as good as you."

"Oh, then you're about to fall apart and cry?" He chuckled softly.

"Something like that." There was a pause that I didn't know how to fill.

"I'm sorry I let this happen, Jake." He was silent for awhile which made me feel even guiltier.

"You didn't," he answered. "Call me when Claire wakes up."

"You too when Ness does." We hung up and I lingered for a few moments in the hall.

"Excuse me." I opened my eyes realizing that I had fallen asleep to see a young girl not much older than Claire. "I think you dropped this." I noticed her English accent as she held out my cell phone.

"Oh, thanks," I said as I retrieved it from her. "Must've dropped it when I fell asleep."

"It looks fairly uncomfortable to be sleeping like that," she commented. I laughed as I rubbed my eyes. "You look tired, if you don't mind my saying."

"Yeah, it's been awhile since I've slept."

"May I ask why?" I could only she understood seeing that she was in a hospital in a wheelchair, but maybe I was assuming too much.

"My girlfriend is in a coma."

"I'm sorry," she sympathized.

"How about you?"

"I'm going into surgery tomorrow. A few heart problems." I nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hope everything works out."

"You too."

"Yeah. And thanks for picking up my phone."

"Glad to have helped." She wheeled herself away as I watched her go before deciding to brave the sight of an unconscious Claire.

A few days passed and she and Ness remained the same. I didn't feel right about leaving the hospital, except when they kicked us out at night. Her friends came by as well as my brothers and Leah. Sometimes, I gave Claire's parents their family time and let them talk to her and each other. I wandered the hospital, figuring out the hard way how to find the cafeteria. Just then I caught a familiar scent and cautiously peered into the room.

"Hey," she greeted me in her British accent.

"I was in the neighborhood." She waved me over and I took a seat beside her, still being tall enough to see her comfortably even as she lay slightly inclined. "How'd your surgery go?" She dropped her eyes  
and shrugged.

"They said it's only temporary, whatever they sewed in there. I'm gonna need a new heart."

"I'm sorry." She shrugged.

"I've been on the list for awhile. But this is the last surgery I'll be able to handle with this heart." She was sad, but I guess decided to change the mood. "I'm April."

"Quil," I said offering my hand, which she took.

"Oh, are you from that reservation over somewhere?" she asked waving her hand in the general direction of nowhere.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Just your name is so unique. It's nice." I smiled. It was the first time I had since coming to the hospital. All my brothers and friends who had come by knew Claire, so it made sense they'd also be sad. But talking to April was easy and made it okay to not be sad for a moment. We talked for awhile until her parents came back.

"Oh here, take this," April said pulling out a pink rose from a vase beside her bed. "For your girlfriend." I took it with a smile and headed back, forgetting to eat.

"Is there anything we could do for her?" Claire's mom asked the doctor, tired of being useless, tired of being hopeless.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said sympathetically. "It's just a waiting game from here."

"How long?" her dad asked. The doctor sighed and looked at us seriously.

"I've mentioned to you before, but there is a large chance she may never wake up." He stalled before going on. Obviously this couldn't be easy for someone to bring up. "Has Claire ever mentioned to you if  
she wanted to become an organ donor?" Claire's mom began objecting and sobbing hysterically at the doctor's insinuations so much that her dad has to hold her. I cleared my throat.

"Doc, maybe we can talk about this later?" I suggested.

"Of course. I'm very sorry, again." Claire's mom continued to sob after the doctor left and sat by her sleeping daughter. I had to get out of there. Claire was going to die and we had to choose whether or  
not to do it.

Sam was outside when I walked out. Without a word, just seeing him made me breakdown. I collapsed in his arms and cried like a child afraid of the dark. Emily was close behind, but gave me my space.  
What was I supposed to do? What the hell was I supposed to do?


	25. Someone Has to Lose

**You guys must totally think that I fell off the edge of the Earth! I know it's been a few months since my last chapter.. which is terrible of me seeing how I left you at the climax of the story. My bad. I had this chapter written, but I was without a computer for a good long while and then I started summer school which is trying to drain my last ounces of sanity. *sigh... why can't life just slow its roll? I know you're like... excuses... excuses.. so I will get on with it. Here is the final chapter of Crystal Claire. Enjoy!**

Someone Has to Lose

"Hey, Jake."

"You sound tired, Quil."

"So do you."

"I heard about Claire. I'm sorry."

"So am I. What do I do, Jake? How can I let her die like that?"

"Quil, there's something you should know. I didn't want to tell you, but if you're having these conversations, you should know."

"What?"

"Renesmee's been dreaming. She's with Claire. They're always running from something, hiding.

"She's scared all the time, Quil. Wherever they are, she's in pain."

"Wh- how- Are you sure she's not just dreaming? She and Claire can't actually be together."

"Maybe not."

"Thanks for letting me know."

"I'm sorry you and her parents have this decision to make."

"Me too."

Claire

"I can't do this anymore, Renesmee!" I screamed as I slowed down my pace behind Renesmee. "What are we even running from?"

"I think you know," she said.

"Why are we always running from it? Getting caught can't be worse than hiding from it."

"Claire, if you get caught, it's over. You'll never seen your parents, never see Quil. You'll never wake up."

"Don't you get it, Renesmee? We're never going to wake up. We're just prolonging the inevitable." I knelt down and hugged my knees. "I can't run anymore."

"You can't give up, Claire. You need to fight. People wake up from comas all the time. We'll find a way out."

"How do you know that?"

"Why can't you just trust me?" Renesmee yelled.

"Because you're a monster!" I regretted the words, but I didn't retract them. "I know you're the good kind and won't hurt me or whatever. Doesn't change anything."

"You're so full of yourself, you know that? You think your blood is so desirable that it's all I think about when I'm with you? If you want to feel sorry for yourself, don't try to put that on me. If you're so intent on labeling me a monster, at least consider the fact that in the face of death, we are in the same place running from the same thing. Would that happen with a real monster? Bottom line, I plan to wake up, and you're going to be awake with me." I started drawing in the dirt. I was embarrassed for my outburst. She had been protecting me for how long and all I could do to repay her was remind her my sentiments of something that was really my problem, not hers. She was right. I was being so selfish when she had always put my needs before her own. She was here because of me, but never once threw that in my face. I looked up, about to apologize for my stupidity, when she held a finger to me to shut me up.

"It's here," she said. "We have to run. Now!" I scrambled up and obeyed her. I could hear the smoke chasing us. I knew we couldn't outrun it, but maybe we could confuse it to buy us some time.

"Hey!" I called to it. I began to run away from Renesmee, praying the black smoke preferred to kill the weaker, slower human.

"Claire!" she called

"Find a way out, Renesmee!" It was the best I could do to show her my gratitude for her sacrifice. I hoped she would tell Quil I loved him. Tell him I was okay and I wanted him to find someone so he wouldn't be lonely.

I hid behind a tree as the smoke passed me and headed the other way. I was sure the smoke couldn't see, so it was using some other sense to track us, which allowed us to evade it for so long. But it managed to corner me against the edge of the cliff that Renesmee and I sat on the first day we were here. I saw her. She had followed me.

"Claire, do you trust me?" The smoke was getting closer. I looked at her. She was peering down over the edge of the cliff. I hoped she wasn't thinking what I thought she was thinking.

"Yes," I said truthfully. She took my hand. Closer the smoke got, surrounding us as if it knew we had nowhere to go. At least neither of us would die alone.

"I'll see you on the other side, wherever that is," she said. With that, we took a leap together and plunged straight for the rocks and waves below.

My eyes opened. I found myself in a hospital bed hooked up to a beeping machine. My parents were asleep on a couple of chairs beside me.

"Welcome back." I turned my head to see Quil standing over me on the opposite side. "You gave us a scare."

"How long was I out?" He touched my cheek. I could see the tiredness and relief in his intense eyes.

"Just a minute." His smiled faded and he brought his forehead to mine. "Don't do that again, Claire. I told you were the only thing that could destroy me."

"I'll try." He kissed me softly.

"I should wake up your parents." Quil went over to them and tapped them on the shoulder. My dad put his glasses back on and hugged me.

"Hey, Princess. You have any dreams while you were sleeping?" I thought about it.

"If I did, I don't remember."

Quil

"Hey," I said as I knocked on April's door.

"Hi, Quil," she said putting down her book. I walked in uneasily.

"I wanted to come by and say good bye." She smiled.

"Your girlfriend woke up."

"Yeah."

"I'm so glad. She's a lucky girl."

"How's your heart?" I asked.

"It'll hold for now."

"I hope you get your new one." She crossed her fingers, her good luck mojo. "I wanted to say thanks. It was nice chatting it up with you. I think you kept me from losing my mind."

"You must really love her," she said. I nodded.

"I really do."

"I'm glad to have helped."

"You did." I glanced at the clock. "I should head back. We're taking her home today."

"Take care of her, Quil."

"I promise." I leaned over and kissed her forehead, a purely platonic one, but it felt right to give her that kind of gesture. "Bye, April."

"Good bye, Quil."

Claire  
Knock knock. I was pretty sure they already knew I was here, but it was nice they didn't freak me out with it. It kept things at least a little normal.

"Hi, claire," a beautiful woman greeted me as she opened the door. I guessed that she was Renesmee's mother, but she looked my age. "I'm Bella." I returned her greeting and she led me inside.

"Is renesmee home?" I asked nervously.

"She's in her room." Bella led me through the house and knocked on her door.

"Come in," Renesmee answered. Bella let me open it and left.

"Hi, zrenesmee," I said.

"Hi, Claire," she greeted me. I was surprised yet relieved that she was so friendly despite my behavior towards her. She was sitting at her desk at the computer, a very normal thing to do, I admitted.

"I wanted to come by to thank you." She pointed to her bed and I took a seat. "I know what kinds of risks you took helping me. Heard you  
even fell into a coma. I never would have done that for you." She nodded.

"You belong to Jacob's best friend. I wanted to help." I nodded in understanding.

"You're an amazing person, Renesmee. You had everyone against you. Your dad, Jacob, the pack, me. No one wanted your help, but you saved  
my life! You're just.. So amazing. You're.." i thought for a second how to word it, "beyond human."

"Are you still worried.. about what I am?" she asked. I took my time in answering, making sure I was absolutely truthful.

"No," I was relieved to say. "I trust you." She smiled, relieved as well.

"I'm glad." So that was it. We became friends. "I heard you were really into dance," Renesmee cleverly brought up to break some potential silence. "I was actually thinkning about taking a class at the community college." She pulled out some booklets of the class schedules. I flipped through the ones she had dogeared.

"Ooh, salsa!" I exclaimed. "I didn't even know they had these kinds of dance classes."

"I'm trying to get Jacob to take one with me. Hey, do you want to take it together?" I got excited.

"How awesome would it be to see Jacob and Quil doing salsa?" We eneded up talking for hours from dance to high school to books, even a little about her and her family's lifestyle. It wasn't so bad once I realized their value of human life. I could feel that wall I had built up between us falling apart. She was like my kindred spirit. I couldn't believe I had been missing out on her friendship; she really was an incredible person.

Quil

I didn't know what happened between Ness and Claire, but he moment the two had woken up, they were inseparable. I mean, what kind of conversation would have made them so close? Jacob and I actually spent more time together because Claire and Ness would often go off on their own. In the end, it was what both of us wanted... her being close to Renesmee... but I couldn't tell you how much Jake and I resisted those damn dance classes. Jake and I had the coordination of a pile of mud. We still lost, of course. Damn.

Claire even convinced Ness to come out to the parties and barbecues. We couldn't even just simply visit Emily's house without Ness on Claire's arm. I didn't mind; she was alive and happy. They both were. Claire didn't even bother to ease Nessie in with everyone. She just dragged her out excited to everything there possibly was. Jacob was right though. Claire was the liason that allowed everyone to fully embrace Renesmee, even the parents with their kids.

"Quil!" Claire called as she burst into my house. "I got my scans back!" I came out of my room. Her smile said it all. I ran up to her and picked her up as I hugged and spun her around a few times before putting her down. "Though technically you can't say you're ever cured of cancer, so I have to go back for checkups and stuff like every week or so, but still!" I kissed her long and hard. I got her back. My Claire was back. I pulled back and just held her close, and then heard Jacob's door room open.

"Ness! I'm not sick!" she exclaimed loudly and ran to hug her friend.

"That's so great, Claire!" They jumped in circles as they hugged. Then Jacob hugged her.

"Glad to have you back, kid."

"So, we have to celebrate," Renesmee pointed out.

"Oh, I know! I'll try to get my parents to do something. We'll plan it!"

"Can we have seafood? I'm discovering a new love for seafood."

"I love those cocktail shrimp and the sauce."

"My grandpa likes to fish a lot. Maybe we can send him and Billy on a retreat..." I leaned over to Jacob who was standing beside me with his arms crossed as we both watched the girls slowly forget that we were here.

"Think this is a good time to tell them those dance classes got cancelled?" I said out of the corner of my mouth. He smiled at the news.

"This day just keeps getting better."

THE END

**So... There is the long awaited final chapter of Crystal Claire. Thank you so much for everyone who commented. You guys make me smile. I love writing for you guys! Thanks for sticking with me till the end and I hope I didn't let you down. Go Twilight!**


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